Love Me Back Together
by Maximum Poofy
Summary: Sequel to Some Kind of Feeling! Even in death, Tom Riddle is still interfering in Harry and Draco's love life. Maybe an island retreat can remedy their shaken bonds? Tom may be gone but someone else is out for revenge. Indefinite Hiatus.
1. A Ticket To Recuperation

For those that haven't read Some Kind of Feeling, my other story, go read it! This will be kind of pointless unless you do.

**Edited: Feb. 5****th****, 2009**

Love Me Back Together.

Chapter One: A Ticket to Recuperation.

= June 1st, Friday. =

The night air was humid and still, an unfavorable atmosphere to sleep in. That is, unless, you had air conditioning. Even though one particular household had whole house air conditioning, a certain young man with a peculiar lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead was not sleeping as soundly as he should have been.

Harry Potter had been tossing and turning all night, a thin layer of sweat over his pale skin and his face scrunched up in pain as he clutched his sheets tightly. A barely audible whimper escaped past his lips, followed by a pained gasp and a sharp jerk of his body to the left as if he were trying to escape from something. He suddenly bolted upright, letting out a short scream, which he quickly muffled with his hand. His breathing was harsh and his heart pounded painfully in his chest, just as it had done for the last two months.

For a moment, he wasn't sure where he was and he almost panicked but he could see the shadow of the tree outside his window and calmed down. After all, there weren't any trees as tall as skyscrapers. He exhaled shakily and slipped his new glasses on--rectangular, slim and black. Nothing at all like the old pair he burned. He climbed out of his bed and quickly but silently headed for the kitchen, eyeing every dark corner of the house with anxiety.

In the kitchen, he looked at the microwave clock and was relieved that he had woken up at 4:30 this time instead of the usual one or two o'clock. He hadn't even taken his sleeping pills that night and he was quite proud of himself. Maybe he could actually get 8 hours of sleep sometime soon. In a slightly better mood, he grabbed a glass and filled it with ice water from the fridge before quickly going back to his room.

He quietly shut the door and turned on his bedside lamp, flooding his tidy room with a dull, sleepy light. He sipped from his glass and set it down on the table before going to his keyboard. Before March, making music and playing the piano had simply been a hobby and a passion. Now, he found that music could do something for him that he hadn't been letting anyone else do. It was a release; an escape. He could sit for hours and play, letting his tremulous emotions out before he did any damage to himself by keeping them in. He almost felt like himself after a good two hours of abusing his poor keyboard. He'd hate to see who he was without it.

He turned it on and slipped his headphones over his head. He skimmed over his messy sheet music, already hearing how it would play in his head. He wiggled his fingers, loosening them up from sleep and placed them over the desired keys. Slowly and gently, he began to play. His eyes closed as he lost himself in the music immediately. It was a hectic melody, desperate and mournful—angry and frustrated. It wasn't something he normally wrote or liked to play but this was what he felt. This was who he was right now.

The tempo escalated and the desperation in the music grew. He was pounding the keys, his fingers moving so fast they could have blurred. His foot pounded the foot pedal and the tempo rose once more. He scaled the keys, once, twice, backwards and ended on a note so deep he felt it in his toes. He let the sound fade before opening his eyes, sighing with renewed exhaustion. Maybe sleep would hold him just a little bit longer tonight, without sending him anymore demons in his dreams.

When Harry finally woke up around noon the next day, he realized just how quiet it was in the house. It was rarely quiet, especially since so many family members kept popping up at odd moments in the day. How odd that it would be so quiet now.

Was anyone even home?

He shivered, fear fluttering in his stomach and before it could turn into panic he squashed it with a few deep breathing exercises his father had forced him to learn. It helped though. The last thing he wanted was to go downstairs blubbering like a baby because no one was home—_if_ no one was home. He shoved his glasses on his face and crawled out of bed with a languid stretch that had him on the tips of his toes. Feeling much more awake, he headed downstairs.

As he neared the kitchen, two familiar voices reached his ears, to his complete relief. Of _course _they wouldn't really leave him alone. He should have known that by now. "Good morning," He greeted, walking into the kitchen. Jake and Carmen were seated at the table with Eve snuggled up, asleep in Jake's arms.

"Mornin', Harry." He greeted quietly with a soft smile. He looked tired—they both did—but judging by the smiles on their faces, it was a good kind of exhaustion. Harry could understand. Eve was just the cutest thing he'd ever seen. He'd gladly sacrifice what little sleep he got for her sake.

"What are you guys doing here?" He took an empty seat, pushing his glasses up to rub his eye. "Where are mum and dad?"

"Dad had to go to work; that Quirrel guy says he's uncomfortable coming to the house." Harry blushed at this, remembering _why_ exactly that was. "And mum went grocery shopping. She said to make sure your homework was done."

"Shouldn't be too hard," Harry said. He'd missed so much school that it only seemed right to get home-schooled until he was caught up and it only felt right to have his mother as his teacher. He was already caught up with the rest of his year and would be able to take his finals soon. Unfortunately, those would have to be taken at school and he was _not_ looking forward to it.

"Draco stopped by too." Carmen told him.

"He should be at school. . ." Harry frowned.

"He and Narcissa are getting rid of all of Lucius' things. They don't want anything to do with him anymore." Carmen told him, a dark look on her face that mirrored Jake's own look.

"Can't blame them, really." Jake murmured, shifting Eve who was making faces at the darkening mood of her parents. Jake cleared his throat and smiled. "He said to tell you that he was going to stop by later. Is that okay?"

"That's fine." Harry said awkwardly. "I'm going to go shower." He leaned over his brother and gave Eve a peck on the forehead.

"Don't spoil her!" Jake laughed. Harry stuck his tongue out and left.

Sometime later, after a few hours of home schooling, Harry was staring at the TV when he saw Draco walk past the window. He hopped off the couch and answered the door before the blonde could ring the doorbell. Draco stood there, in black jeans and an electric blue t-shirt with a small smile on his face. He looked quite pleased with himself and it put a smile on Harry's face.

"Hey." Harry said, moving aside to let him in. " I take it throwing all of Lucius' things away was refreshing?"

"It was positively delightful." Draco grinned, walking in. "Did you finish all of your homework?" He asked. Harry nodded and shut the door. "Good." There was a small period of silence in which Draco's demeanor went from pleased to nervous and hesitant. Harry was about to ask if he was okay when he spoke up. "I ah, I was wondering . . .you know, if you'd like to go out to dinner with me." Draco asked slowly.

Harry was silent for a moment. He _definitely_ hadn't been expecting that. They hadn't had a date in months, nor had they done anything even remotely boyfriend-like. It was almost like they were just friends but Harry didn't want to be _just friends_ and he knew Draco didn't either. This was his boyfriends' attempt at rebuilding their relationship, which was a lot more than he had been doing. He'd been so busy thinking about himself that he hadn't been thinking enough about Draco. Maybe if he had paid more attention, Draco wouldn't be standing in front of him, looking uncertain as if Harry would say no. He felt like such a bastard.

"Of course," Harry smiled and hoped he looked enthusiastic about it.

Draco smiled, visibly relieved. "Great! There's this great little Chinese restaurant in town, do you want to go there?" He asked.

"Sound's good," Harry said.

Harry stepped out of the shower and grabbed a fluffy towel, wrapping it around his waist. It was about 7:00 in the evening and Draco would be there in 30 minutes or so for their date. Harry found it strange that he was getting nervous. They've had dates before and even made love and here he was, standing in front of the mirror, unsure of himself. He leaned over the sink counter and wiped the fog away from the mirror and stared at himself, taking in his features for the first time in a while. The shadows under his eyes weren't too visible but they were there. He could always use some of his mother's make up to cover that up. He was sure Draco wouldn't want to look at those bags all night. His eyes traveled up to that lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead. Several times he had the urge to scratch over it, to make it so that it wasn't even there but then that would mean that there was something seriously wrong with him. He didn't want to admit that to himself.

He always tried to ignore what was written on his back and sometimes, it was easy to do that. He never saw it because of its position and when he did know it was there, it was because of those damn nightmares.

He sighed and headed to his room. After drying off, he dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a white t-shirt with three red stripes that went across the chest. He pulled on his red and white sneakers before running the brush through his unruly hair. Ever since it had been cut, it refused to lay flat no matter what he did, like his father's hair. He'd much rather have his longer, more manageable hair though. Draco _liked_ his long hair and so did he. Hopefully he'd be able to grow it out again.

After his futile attempt at brushing his hair, he covered up the bags under his eyes carefully and walked downstairs. "Are you going out with Draco tonight?" His mother asked when he walked into the living room.

"We're going to the Emperor's Palace in town." He told her. She smiled gently, looking a little teary eyed.

"I'm glad; that boy has done wonders for you." She said. Harry blushed, just as the doorbell rang. Lily gave her son a kiss on the forehead and a light hug. "You have fun now and don't stay out too late, okay?" He nodded.

"Bye mom." She waited until the door shut behind him before letting the smile drop from her face. She couldn't help but feel that it was both her fault and her husbands fault for her son's suffering and even for Draco's suffering—because he surely was suffering just as much. Had they not done what they did to Lucius so long ago, maybe none of this would have happened. Maybe her baby boy's eyes would still have their sparkle and maybe he wouldn't have to use make up to hide his sleepless nights.

Watching Draco's car drive away from the window, she sighed. _All I can do now is pray that it will get better from here._

The Emperor's Palace was a modest restaurant with a red and gold theme. Paintings of traditional Chinese dragons decorated the deep red walls and stocks of bamboo were potted in various positions around the room. It was a friendly little restaurant that was thankfully, not too crowded. The two boys were seated in a small booth away from the window for Harry's sake.

" So . . .How's school going?" Harry asked uncomfortably after relaying their orders to the waitress. The few people who were in the restaurant were glancing at them and a few brave ones were even pointing, recognizing them both from the news. Draco didn't seem to notice or was expertly ignoring them. Harry could only turn red and stare at his reflection in the polished table top.

"It's fine. The teachers are harder on us now that the end of the term exams are coming up." Draco paused. " Everyone's really worried about you."

"Really?" Harry looked up in surprise.

"A lot of people keep asking Hermione and me how you're doing and not just Dean and Seamus. Even_ Snape_ is worried about you." He said with a grin.

"You can't be serious." Harry deadpanned. Draco laughed.

"I am! He didn't come out and just _say_ he was worried about you, though. It was more like, " Send Mister Potter my regards on his health and tell him he better have all of his work for me completed." something like that." Harry laughed, much easier than he had in a while. Draco observed this with pride and affection.

"Well, I'd never expect more from that man." Draco nodded in agreement.

" Um . . .there's something else I wanted to tell you." Draco started. "You know I'm 17 now. And I _should_ be in the year above you at least . . . well the school's thinking of moving me up a year since I've shown over achievement in all of my classes, some of which are already advanced." He said, eyeing Harry anxiously. Harry was flattered that he would worry over something like that.

"If you were expecting me to be angry then I'm not." Harry told him truthfully. "I'll be a little sad that we won't have classes together but otherwise it's fine with me." Draco visibly relaxed.

"You are _such_ an understanding person and I love that about you." Harry blushed and rubbed the back of his neck.

Conversation halted for a while after their food arrived. There were only the occasional looks shared between the two and inquiries about how their food was. Then something caught Harry's eye.

"Draco, look." He whispered, nodding towards two Chinese women, one older and another younger. They watched the two women argue about something in their native language. Harry would have ignored them but occasionally the younger one would look over at them and glare furiously, jabbing in their direction with anger. It was a short lived argument though as the older woman said something and made a shooing motion with her hands. The younger pouted sulkily and with one last glare at Harry and Draco, stormed off into the kitchens. The old woman turned towards them and bowed with a kind smile before following the other woman.

"What was _that_ all about?" Draco asked with an odd look.

"I have _no_ idea." He probably didn't want to know anyway.

Harry returned home that night, glad he had decided to go on the date. They hadn't had the opportunity to just talk between themselves for a long time and it felt good to just be with Draco. He was even able to forget about the stares and pointing after a while. Draco gave him so much confidence and his presence was a steady comfort even when Harry couldn't help flinching or shying away from his gentle hands.

He was still guilty about not spending enough time with Draco and resolved to do something about that. Even if he felt like hiding in his room for twenty-four hours, he'd at least force himself to leave for Draco. After all, he was still willing to love him and be with him, despite all that had happened.

Harry crawled into bed that night with an actual smile on his face and the beginnings of a pleasant dream in his head.

Draco half danced, half walked into his house after walking Harry to his door. If Harry was happy then he was too and knowing that he was the one to make Harry happy was the best damn thing ever. Sometimes, Harry had one of those pensieve, neutral expressions that were more fitting for someone three times his age. He understood why, he understood _very _well the reasons why Harry adopted those looks. He only wished he could do something to change them. He'd do everything within his ability to make Harry smile and laugh like he use to.

"Well aren't _you_ happy." Narcissa said, walking down the stairs in her cream colored night gown and a white silk robe over top of it. Her silky blonde hair was plaited and hung over her shoulder. "I take it your date with Harry went well?"

"It was as good as I could expect it to be, considering." Draco said, dropping his key in the silver bowl on the stand next to the doorway. "He still doesn't like it when anyone touches him." He sighed. "It's . . . hard."

"It's to be expected." Narcissa said softly. "He'll pull through, Draco. He's a very brave boy. Most people would have . . ._cracked_, for lack of a better word. He's still holding on strong." She walked up to her son and pulled him into a hug, hating the torn look in his eyes. "But no one can go through something like that, holding everything inside of them. They will eventually break." She said dolefully.

"If that happens. . . I'll be there to put back the pieces." He said with quiet resolve.

Harry was nervous, so nervous he dropped anything he picked up and almost put on clothes that wouldn't match, even to a color-blind person. He was going back to school for final exams and he wasn't looking forward to it at all. It was one thing to be surrounded by a crowd of family members. A crowd of teenagers he hardly knew was going to be hell; he could feel it.

After tying up his shoes, he grabbed the few things he'd need—pencils, some money and his keys-- and walked downstairs. His mother was waiting for him, giving him worried looks and biting her lip. He didn't think she was ready for him to go back to school either. Harry bet, if he asked, she'd let him stay home. It was very tempting but his conscious was too averse to taking advantage of her fear and anxiety.

"You'll be okay?" She asked softly, brushing down his hair with her hand. She sighed when it popped back up again and put her hands on his shoulders, getting a good look at him. Harry felt like he was five again, getting ready for primary school with the way she was looking at him. _How embarrassing, _He thought with a blush.

"Yes, mum." He didn't sound too convincing, even to his own ears.

She hugged him tightly, petting his head, and didn't seem to want to let go anytime soon. "If anything happens or anyone says anything, you can call me and I'll come pick you up. Or ask Draco to drive you home, okay?" He nodded, only slightly annoyed. He wasn't a _child_.

She pulled away with great reluctance and adjusted his dark green jumper, fixing the hood and brushing off nonexistent lint. Harry almost smiled—she was stalling. "I have to go mum, Draco's waiting." He said. She sniffled and looked like she would cry but nodded and muttered a weak "have a good day". He left the house and walked to where Draco was parked and climbed into the passengers' seat.

"Hey." Draco said.

"Morning," Harry smiled apprehensively. Draco eyed him carefully for a few seconds before driving over to Hermione's house to pick her up. The drive to school was silent, which was surprising but appreciated. Harry was too nervous to try and hold a conversation; it was like he had a million caterpillars crawling laps around his stomach. Before March, it could be said that he was invisible at school. He liked it that way; he didn't want a hundred fair weather friends. He was perfectly content with having a few good people to hang out with and he had that. But he wouldn't have the anonymity anymore. He'd been on the news so often , his presence was bound to be noticed by everyone. It was nauseating to think about.

They arrived at school in what seemed like no time, much to Harry's dismay. Draco parked closer to the entrance than he usually did, which Harry had hoped he wouldn't do. He was rather hoping he could delay actually walking into school--Fat chance of that happening now.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked gently.

"Fine." Harry squeaked out. He was as pale as death. Draco looked skeptical, as did Hermione, but they let it go for now. They climbed out of the car and walked towards the school, Draco on Harry's right and Hermione on the left. Harry kept his head low as they stepped into the noisy hall. He didn't want to see the looks.

Draco and Hermione glared at anyone whose stare lingered longer than two seconds. Their ferocity was rewarded with less stares and less whispers, at least until they were out of earshot. Their wrath had become legendary during Harry's absence and their friendship even more so.

"How _rude_," Hermione bristled eventually, unable to hold it back anymore. There were still those individuals who couldn't find it within themselves to have some shred of empathy and were happily whispering and pointing.

"Uncouth morons," Draco sneered, glaring with a coldness most of Hogwarts Highschool hadn't seen and wished they hadn't seen. Draco itched to put a protective arm around Harry but he knew it would only make things worse.

Harry, red from embarrassment, was tense and stubbornly refusing to look up. If it weren't for Hermione and Draco, he'd have walked into several people and a trashcan. They managed to keep him from running into anything all the way to their homeroom, thankfully. He received more stares in the classroom and to his utter surprise, a few people asked how he was. Even after Draco told him how some people seemed genuinely concerned, it was still hard to believe. But he looked up and could see it. He could see the sympathy and the concern. These people were exuding more friendliness than he had ever witnessed in his life!

"I'm fine. . .thanks," He finally managed to say. One of the girls who asked, a bubbly blonde named Hanna Abbot, smiled brightly at his answer. Harry blinked, bemused, as they took their regular seats in the back of the room.

After the bell rang, Miss Trelawney fluttered in and smiled dreamily.

"Good morning, students!" She cooed. Her eyes fell on Harry and her eyes lit up. "It's good to see you _back_ Mr. Potter!" She nearly squealed. Harry blushed ferociously when practically the entire class turned to look at him.

"Thanks." He said quietly, sinking in his seat. She smiled sweetly before explaining about how the exams were going to be taken. They'd go to their classes and either study for the tests that were tomorrow or take the tests themselves. The tests that would be taken today were, English, History, Math's, and Art. Tomorrow would be, Foreign Languages, any other elective course that the student had chosen and Sciences.

It would be a very busy day.

By the time lunch came around, the students were overcome with relief. The teachers hadn't even _tried _to make the exams easy. Harry silently thanked his mother for being such a great teacher. He might have failed all of his exams otherwise.

"How are you holding up?" Draco asked at lunch. Harry shrugged and poked at his sandwich disinterestedly.

"Besides everyone always staring at me and constantly patting me on the back, I'm doing okay." He could deal with minor touches from his father and brother and hugs from his mother, even a squeeze of the hand from Draco when he was feeling particularly confident but pats on the back had him jumping constantly. Especially when some of them came too close to the other scar. "Everyone probably thinks I've gone mental." He murmured with a dismal frown.

"Well . . ." Hermione said, not really knowing how to respond to that.

"_I_ don't think you're mental." Ron said, sitting next to Hermione, across from Harry. "And neither does Hermione or Draco, right?"

"Of course not!" Hermione exclaimed, over Draco's own affirmation of Harry's sanity.

Harry gave them a grateful smile before taking a bite out of his sandwich.

Hermione turned to Ron. "How were your exams?"

He shot her a guilty look." Uh . . .I don't think I did to well on the History one."

Hermione looked scandalized, "We studied for that one for _hours_, Ron. I can't believe you! Didn't you tell me you studied on your own too? How could you possibly _not_ pass?"

"History is so _boring_! You know I always fall asleep in that class. It's bloody difficult to stay awake when old Binns is droning _on_ and _on_ and _on _and _on_ and--"

"I think we get the idea." Draco stated dryly.

"That's still no excuse Ronald." Hermione said primly. "Mr. Binns may be boring but you don't see _me _falling asleep."

"That's because you actually enjoy learning about stuff you'll never need in your life." Ron muttered.

"You can learn a wealth of information from the past, Ronald. That's the problem with so many people in today's society. They're all so quick to forget history and then _no_ one learns from past mistakes--"

"Whatever, Hermione." Ron said, bored with the topic. Hermione sputtered angrily while Ron inhaled his food with a satisfied glint in his eyes.

Harry stared back and forth between his friends, feeling as if he were the odd man out. Even Draco was watching the two with vague disinterest, as if their bickering wasn't anything new. Harry stared at the sandwich in his hand with a tense frown. It actually _hurt _seeing them so close, arguing with each other like he used to do with Hermione. Had they really drifted apart like this? He rarely saw her anymore, though she often called. There was no question that they were still best friends but somehow, it felt like he was being replaced by Ron. It was a heart wrenching feeling that robbed him of what little appetite he had. He sighed inaudibly and set his half eaten sandwich down and stood with his tray.

Harry was already half way across the cafeteria before Draco could swallow enough food to ask him where he was going. He frowned though, when instead of coming back after dumping his tray, he left the cafeteria. Hermione and Ron didn't even notice. Draco sneered at them and followed after Harry.

Harry ran a hand through his hair as he walked down the hall. He really hated this feeling; it seemed so _stupid_. Hermione had been his best friend for _years_. He knew her like he knew himself and she definitely wasn't the type of person to forget about other people if she could help it. She wouldn't ditch him for Ron.

_But why do I feel like she already has?_

"Harry?" He jumped and whirled around with fright. Draco stood a couple feet away, looking hesitant to approach him and apologetic. "Sorry if I scared you," He said softly.

Harry relaxed and tried to smile. "It's okay."

"Why'd you leave?" Harry hesitated but decided to tell him.

"I've been gone for a little over two months. A lot can happen in two months, you know? I. . .I feel like I've missed so much." He admitted sadly. "Hermione and I, we use to talk about everything and hang out whether we were studying or bored but we haven't been like that lately." He laughed humorlessly. "It's pretty sad when your former enemy talks to your best friend more than you do. I'm glad they're getting along but. . .I don't want to be forgotten."

The look on Harry's face was so pathetic, so lost and scared that it utterly broke Draco's heart. Harry _needed _comfort, he needed a hug and Draco wanted to give that to him more than anything right now. The blonde took a chance and walked closer to Harry and pulled him into a gentle hug that was loose enough for Harry to break out of if he wanted to. Harry went stiff in his embrace and looked at him with wide eyes but he didn't move away for once.

God, he hadn't been this close to Harry in a while and being able to look into his verdant eyes from such intimate distance was setting him on fire. It was _war _just trying to keep himself from tightening his hold or worse—kissing him.

"Harry, Hermione hasn't and will _never_ replace you for Weasley. She loves you like a brother; you know that. She knows you need some distance and she's trying to give it to you. She's been tutoring Weasley these past couple of months instead of crowding you. I'm sure that when you're ready, all four of us will go back to having the time of our lives. It will be just like it used to be, with a new addition." Draco tried to sound as reassuring as possible and Harry was appreciative of his efforts. Even so, he gently pushed away from his boyfriend and refused to meet his concerned blue gaze.

"Draco, it will never be the way it was before." He whispered and walked away. Draco watched him leave, speechless and more than a little unnerved.

By the end of the school day, Harry was mentally exhausted. The tests weren't hard and therefore, not the problem. It was just being around so many people who suddenly realized he existed and the thought of the current distance between him and Hermione.

"Well that wasn't a very bad day." Hermione sighed, climbing into the car. "Was it, Harry?" She asked.

Harry shut the passenger side door and buckled himself in." Sure." He replied. It was said with such indifference that Hermione visible recoiled, confused and shocked. She looked at Draco who mouthed 'later'.

The ride was spent in silence, which was rapidly becoming common when with Harry. It was yet another thing about his boyfriend that was causing him to worry. Harry use to talk a fair amount and if he wasn't talking, he hummed. This kind of tense silence wasn't a good indication of Harry getting better. Hell, Harry wasn't getting better in the first place. He was stationary, not getting any worse but not getting better and Draco didn't know how he could help. What if Harry suddenly fell into depression and started hurting himself? He furiously squashed such a ridiculous thought and tried to forget about it—tried, being the keyword.

"I'll call you later, okay, Harry?" Hermione said as they pulled in front of her house.

"Okay; bye Hermione." He said quietly.

The bushy-haired girl sighed and climbed out of the car. "See you tomorrow, Draco." She frowned at Harry's distracted visage before shutting the door and walking away.

"Harry?" Draco said, pulling into his driveway.

"Yes?" Harry said absentmindedly. He looked as if he were thinking hard about something.

"Remember those photos from Christmas?"

Harry blinked and looked at him. "Yeah, I forgot about those."

"So did I but I _finally_ had them developed and a couple of other photos. I was hoping you'd like to see them."

Harry brightened. "Of course!"

"Good, I'll go get them, wait for me on your porch?" Harry nodded. While Draco went to get the pictures, Harry got the mail. He shuffled through them, ignoring anything that looked like bills, and stopped at an envelope with his and Draco's name on it. There was no return address. He sat on the porch step and frowned at it but before he could open it, Draco jogged over. He had a rather large photo album with _Family and Friends_ printed in curling letters on the front.

"Are there a lot of pictures?" Harry asked, setting the mail aside.

"Like you wouldn't believe; half this album is full of Christmas pictures." Draco sat next to him and opened the album between them. The first picture was of them under the mistletoe kissing, Harry blushing a bright red color and Draco looking distinctly satisfied.

"Hey! That was that day when your father came over." Harry blushed. "Who took that?"

"Your Godfather took it. I _had_ to have a copy." He turned the page. The next was at the Christmas Party. There were plenty of pictures of the family. There were some of Regulus looking grumpy, standing next to a grinning Sirius who had his arm slung around his shoulder. A few pictures were of family members alone. Sirius pulled a goofy pose and Remus smiled shyly at the camera. James made a funny face in a few of them and Lily was looking radiant as always.

There was a photo of his parents together; Lily sat on James' lap with a glass of wine. A modest blush spread across her cheeks and a wide grin split James' face. One of the photos had Felix with both of his sons. There was one of Harry being lifted off the ground by Rich; the horrified yet gleeful look on Harry's face was priceless.

"I was hoping you hadn't caught that." Harry mumbled as Draco snickered. He turned the page again. There was a photo of Remus with oven mitts on, pulling a baking sheet full of fresh, chocolate chip cookies out of the oven. The one below it was of oven mitt-Remus trying to fend a ravenous Sirius off of his cookies. Then the one on the next page was of Remus throwing one of the oven mitts at Sirius with deadly accuracy, if Draco remembered correctly.

"He's like the perfect housewife." Harry laughed. The picture under it was of Rose with her game face on, schooling Lily on what to do with the Turkey. Harry's mother looked like she was about to bite her mothers' head off any moment. "When did you get that picture?" Harry asked.

"I don't really remember; probably after I got back from using the loo." He said. He turned the page again. This one was a picture of a drunken Romulus, hanging off of Harry, looking as if he were belting out a song. Harry was once again blushing in this picture, looking adorably uncomfortable.

"I was _so_ embarrassed." Harry admitted, laughing. On the next page was a picture of James, Sirius and Remus, laughing together on the couch with Lily leaning over the back of the couch behind James. Her face was alit with laughter as she looked at someone not in the picture.

All of the pictures were beautiful; they were all so natural and the interactions between family members were absolutely precious like the photo of Tonks trying to pull one of her children off of Hermione's earring and the one of Draco and Harry, sneaking a kiss upstairs when Hermione had taken the camera from Draco. He'd forgotten what it felt like to be as carefree as they had been in the photos. They were moments he would cherish for a long time and he vowed to never forget the warmth of that day ever again.

They continued to look through the album and comment on the pictures for almost an hour when they finally came to the last pictures. There was a photo of him, Hermione and Draco in his Fathers study. He was sitting on Draco's lap whose arms were around his waist. Hermione was next to them, smiling contentedly and looking at her two best friends who were laughing about something.

"Who took that picture?" Harry wondered.

"Your mum. She gave it to me one day along with . . ." He pointed to the one below it. "This one," It was a picture of them, curled up on the couch together that one night that seemed so long ago; the light of the TV reflected off of their peaceful, sleeping faces.

"She is so _sneaky_." Harry gasped and blushed.

"I don't think you should be blushing just yet." Draco said, turning red. He turned to the last page where the last picture was held. The photo was taken from the foot of Harry's bed. It was of them, in the aftermath of their first night together. Harry's head was resting on Draco's bare chest with an arm draped across the boy's stomach. Draco had his hand clasped with Harry's and the other was tangled in Harry's tousled hair. Both of them had tranquil looks on their faces, the morning sun streaming across their features. It set Draco's hair ablaze with hues of gold and white.

Harry turned a new shade of red that bled down to his neck when he realized what Draco had implied. His _mother _had taken that picture. They were naked and still sticky and she had—"Oh my God," He said, horrified. "I can't believe she saw us—and took a picture!" He squeaked.

"That was my exact thought when she confronted me later. She didn't have a problem with it though. She just, uh, reminded us to use protection and to go to the doctors for check ups, which we did in November." He conveniently left out the part where she threatened him with castration should he do anything untoward to her baby boy.

"Well that's good to know but it's still a bit embarrassing." Harry said.

"Tell me about it," He groaned.

"We were lucky that it wasn't my father, though."

"That. . .wouldn't have gone over so well," He admitted with a chuckle.

Harry closed the album after one last look of longing at the photo and looked up at Draco. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For showing me these, for cheering me up," He said. "For just . . . being here for me and being patient. I know I've been rather difficult and jumpy."

"It's normal to be that way after what you've been through." Draco said quietly. A look of sorrow passed over Harry's face. "And I will always be there with you through this _all_ because no matter what I _still_ love you. I'll never stop."

Hearing Draco say that was overwhelming; it almost brought him to tears but instead of crying he whispered back, "I love you too." They started to lose themselves in each other's eyes, hypnotized by how close they were—it had been a long time. Harry's heart sped up when Draco started to inch closer, blatantly staring at his lips. Harry wanted to kiss him just as badly as Draco wanted to. He missed the intimacy, the texture, the warmth--

_**I own you**_

Harry jerked away from Draco, his breath hitched in his throat and his eyes wide. He turned away from the blonde and clenched his eyes shut, trying to calm down his painfully beating heart.

"Harry?" Draco said, cautiously. He put a hand on Harry's shoulder. The other boy jumped but didn't make a move to remove the hand. "Are you alright?"

"Y--yes." He replied unconvincingly.

". . .Flashback?" Draco pressed.

" . . .Yes." He turned back to Draco, still looking frightfully pale and shaking. "I'm sorry." He said with a disappointed sigh. He couldn't even kiss his own _boyfriend_. How sad was that?

"Don't be sorry; I understand." Harry smiled gratefully.

"Oh, I just remembered something." Harry said, eager to change the topic. He grabbed the envelope from the mail pile next to him and showed it to Draco. "I got this in the mail today."

"Oh?" Draco said, looking at it curiously. "It's addressed to both of us? That's odd."

"I know. Should we open it?"

"Well I doubt it's going to _scream_ at us or anything." He took the letter from Harry and tore it open. He looked inside and was instantly confused at what he saw.

"What is it?" Harry asked. Draco didn't answer. Instead he turned the envelope over and two tickets and a strip of paper fell onto his lap. "What's that?" Harry asked again. Draco looked up at him with surprised after quickly reading the strip of paper.

"Read this," He handed the paper and the tickets to Harry who was insanely curious by now. He read the note aloud.

"Take, you need more than us." Harry looked at the tickets and his eyes widened. He looked at Draco and then back at the tickets, speechless.

They had just received two tickets to the Fijian Islands.

**Re-Authored Note: **_**Yes, I'm editing LMBT! I'm hoping that by doing this I'll get back into the swing of things. Plus, I think my writing has gotten a little bit better over the years and I was cringing whenever I re-read this. So if you're new to the story, tell me how it is. If you're an old reader and you're reading this again—I love you!**_


	2. Misconceptions and Amusement Parks

**Edited October 31, 2009. Happy Halloween!**

_Love Me Back Together_

_Chapter Two._ Misconceptions and The Amusement Park.

"Do you think Lucius sent them?" Harry asked quietly, holding one of the tickets in his hand.

"Lucius is the type of man who'd wait a couple of years and hit you when you least expect it." Draco grimaced at the thought. "It has to be from some one else." After a few moments of silence, Harry gasped.

"Those Chinese women!" Harry said. "Remember how they were arguing? It _has_ to be them. I bet they got my address from the news or something." Harry said irritably.

"So you're thinking they gave these to us as a, what, a get well gift?" Draco said dubiously.

"I don't know, maybe. It's the only thing I can think of." He sighed. "And these are expensive tickets. First class to Fiji!"

"Well . . . do you want to go?" Draco said with a mischievous glint in his stormy eyes.

Harry frowned. "My parents would never let me do this, even with you. Not after . . ." He trailed off. No more really needed to be said. Draco nodded grimly. "But . . . I'd go if I could." Harry said hesitantly. He wasn't sure if he was ready to leave the comfort of his own home yet. He thought he had been getting better until today. He was utterly exhausted from being on edge all day, flinching at stares and friendly gestures that should have warmed him with their sincerity instead of freeze him with thoughts of _him_. Leaving the country couldn't possibly be any better, could it?

"Hey guys." They looked up to see James, just getting out of his car, weighed down with two different briefcases. They hadn't even noticed the car pull up. "Did you forget your key again, Har?" James asked, shutting the door and walking up to them.

"No. We were looking at Christmas photos."

"Oh? You'll have to share, then!" He said. "Why don't you two come in, I'll fix you a snack or something." James said before his eyes caught sight of the tickets held in their hands. "What's that?"

"Uh . . ." Harry looked at Draco, panicked, but the blonde shook his head helplessly.

James leaned down to look at the tickets they held and his eyes narrowed. "Plane tickets to Fiji?"

"We can explain." Draco said quickly.

* * *

"Oh come on James! They've been through so much already; this could be a wonderful opportunity for them to relax." Lily said softly.

James paced the length of the living room, not at all happy at the thought of his youngest son going off to another country. "Harry's still recovering, Lils. He can barely stand _me_ touching him," He grimaced. "What makes you think he won't have a mental breakdown while in Fiji _alone_ with a _male_? Someone who's been," He paled and stuttered, "S-someone with his kind of trauma could be seriously harmed just by being outside of familiar surroundings."

She followed him with her eyes by the couch, "Hon, Please act like a father and not a psychologist for once; Harry is getting a little better and they won't be leaving until the 24th of June. That's a lot of time for Harry to continue healing and get more comfortable with Draco." Lily said." Psychology doesn't always help whether it's someone familiar helping or some complete stranger." She walked up to her distressed husband and stopped his pacing, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Don't you want our baby to be happy?" She said with big hopeful eyes. "This is a chance for Harry to finally heal himself and his relationship with Draco."

She wasn't blind. Ever since the incident, Harry and Draco had gone back in time to a period where they were awkward with one another, wanting to be comforted and provide comfort but not knowing how without offending each other. It was painful to watch and probably just as painful to live through.

James sighed with a wry smile, "That's what I'm afraid of."

Lily glared lightly. "Come on, just think." She purred in his ear. "We'll have a whole two weeks _all_ to ourselves." She kissed his jaw lightly and whispered, "We could try for that baby girl we always wanted." James wrapped his arms around his wife and thoughtfully met her eyes.

"But aren't you worried about how Harry--"

She silenced him with a kiss." James, I'm confident that Draco will take care of Harry. They love each other _so_ much. If we give them some alone time, away from people who are always gaping at them and from us, then I'm sure Draco will have our child back to the sweet, happy young man he was before." She said sincerely. "I place all my trust in Draco. He's not like his father . . . he's not like we were." Her emerald eyes darkened with regret and James held her tighter. "Draco will be there for him. He'll do what we can't."

"Okay, Lily-bear. I'll let him go." James said softly. "But only because I want a chance for my son to be happy again." James smiled before scowling a bit. "But if I find out that they decide to _stay_ in Fiji and get married--" Lily kissed him into silence again.

"Then we'll let them get married." She said, pulling away slightly. "And just kiss me, will you?"

"Tch; Fine," James scowled playfully. He leaned down and captured his wife in a kiss that most marriages never saw after the honeymoon.

"UGH!" They quickly broke apart to see Jake standing in the hallway, looking a little green and wrinkling his face in disgust. "I come by to see my family and this is what I get, my _parents_ snogging in the living room!" He exclaimed. "You guys aren't in University anymore; time to act your age."

Lily laughed and threw one of the couch pillows at him." You be quiet, Jacob Potter!" Jake caught it and threw it back. James caught it and glared at his son before tossing it on the couch.

"So uh . . . why did Harry just run out the house looking so upset?" Jake asked. Lily and James' playful moods melted to ones of worry.

"What do you mean?" Lily asked.

"I opened the door and he came running out looking awfully close to tears." Jake said. James and Lily shared a look.

"I believe that would be our fault." Lily said grimly.

"What?" Jake said in confusion.

"Two Chinese women sent him and Draco plane tickets to Fiji." Jake's eyes widened. "We were discussing whether we should let him go with Draco and decided yes and . . . we may have said some thing's that he could have taken the wrong way." She said guiltily.

Jake rolled his eyes." Fine, I'll go find him before someone else does." Jake said, heading back out the house.

* * *

Harry walked quickly down the street, not caring where it took him. All he knew was that he hurt inside from what his parents said. They talked as if he didn't matter, as if they wanted to get rid of him just so they could make room for another child. He angrily wiped away his tears and sniffled, turning down another street and into a small park. What did he ever do in all of his fourteen years to deserve all of this?

"Harry!" He turned at the sound of his name being called to see his brother running down the street. He stopped in the middle of the pathway to wait for him.

"What?" Harry said once Jake caught up, slightly out of breath.

"Why don't we go sit down?" The two of them sat down under the shade of a large tree. Harry pulled his knees up to his chest and watched the children playing football. "You know, whatever you though mum and dad meant is wrong." Jake told him.

"Oh?"

"Yeah! You know they love you but . . . well, everyone wants you to get better, you know? But the only person out of all of us who is actually doing some good for you is Draco. It's not that they want to get _rid_ of you, they'd _never_ want that. No one would." Jake told him. "Our parents, you could say, have had no time for themselves. Between worrying about you, their jobs, being happy for my newly started family, they have no time for themselves." Jake looked at Harry. "You don't want them to be unhappy, do you?"

"No." Harry said guiltily. "But they made it sound like I was in the way and after all the times they said they'd be there for me no matter what, it was like they lied." He blinked rapidly, and furiously wiped his eyes to stop the tears threatening to come out. "You can't blame me for feeling like this."

"No, I can't." Jake said. He was sitting close to his little brother. All it would take was a simple movement to wrap him up in his arms and comfort him but he stopped himself. He didn't want to give Harry a flashback.

"I want them to be happy, Jake. So, I guess if going to Fiji will make them happy then I'll go." Harry said, looking over at Jake.

"Harry, don't go to make them happy. Go because you _want_ to." Jake said gently. "You need a little rest and relaxation and you sure as hell won't get it here." He said, smiling a little.

Harry smiled back. "I guess you're right, I mean, what's worse than what's already happened?"

* * *

Later that day, after profuse apologizing from his parents and a nice talk about how they would always love him and if he ever needed someone to talk to they'd be there, Harry called Draco.

"_Hello?_"

"Hey, Draco." Harry said, plopping down on his bed.

"_What's up?_"

"My parents said it was okay if I went with you . . .you still want to go to Fiji don't you?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"_Well, yeah! Do you?_"

"Of course I do." He still loved traveling and it had been a long time since he had gone anywhere outside of England. There was the slight issue of being around a bunch of strangers but he was sure no one would hurt him in Fiji, he would have Draco and his boyfriend wouldn't let anything happen to him.

"_In that case, we should go shopping._"

Harry made a face. "What's wrong with the things we have already?"

"_Nothing but it wouldn't hurt to have some new clothes for our travels. It's about that time of year for me to add something refreshing and new to my wardrobe._"

Harry laughed softly; he couldn't deny Draco any kind of happiness, even if it was for clothes. "I don't mind, but nothing too expensive."

"_But you deserve only the best_."

Harry rolled his eyes at his petulant tone and smiled. "When will we go shopping?"

"_After school tomorrow; is that good?_A"

"Fine with me,"

* * *

Sometimes Harry wished he were invisible again. Before, when he was nothing but another high school kid going through the motions of life, he wished he were something more. He never thought that "something more" would turn out like it did. If he had known, he would have been more than happy with what he had.

Going to the mall, where everyone was sure to recognize Harry, thanks to that _man's_ jagged memento displayed on his forehead, had probably been a bad idea. Too bad Draco only realized that once they were already in the mall. Harry was pressed up against his side in his nervousness, shaking a little, but trying to be brave. His face was a mask of calm though he was paler than normal and his green eyes darted around at all of the strangers.

Draco hesitated before gently taking Harry's smaller hand in his. Harry looked up at him, confused. Draco smiled softly, patiently, and made sure Harry could see the affection he had for him. Harry frowned ever so slightly, expression unsure and vulnerable. It made his chest ache; his boyfriend should never have to feel that way about him! But he understood that it couldn't be helped.

He tried to pull his hand away, thinking that perhaps it was too much for Harry but the dark-haired boy clutched his hand tightly and smiled unsteadily. "Thank you," Harry whispered.

Draco squeezed his hand back and they continued shopping, this time much more ignorant of the stares than before. He had a feeling that something was changing for the better. He hoped he could trust it.

* * *

Later that day, driving back to Harry's house, there was less tension than there usually was around Harry. He was relaxed and becoming comfortable with Draco again. It wasn't anything like it used to be and Draco didn't expect for them to immediately start shagging or snogging but it was the most progress in a while. He wasn't sure though, if it was enough progress for Harry to be leaving the country.

"Harry?" Draco said.

"Hm?" He blinked sleepily, having been on the edge of sleep. The drive to London was ridiculously long and silence between them was comforting. He yawned and looked at Draco who was glancing at him.

"I was wondering . . . do you think you're really up to going to Fiji? I never thought you'd really want to leave your parents so soon after . . . what happened. Don't you want to stay with them?"

Harry sighed heavily. He was tired of everyone sheltering him, trying to keep him locked away because they thought he would break if the air so much as touched him. The last person who said something of the sort about him, he blew up on.

_Harry was visiting Remus and Sirius with his parents, having not seen them in a while. His parents were content with sitting around talking about their school days and what little mischief middle aged men and women manage to get up to this day and age. He appreciated their attempts to bring him into the conversation but he didn't feel like talking and the gentle, 'we're-trying-not-to-break-you' way they were talking to him was pissing him off. So he asked if he could go down to the park that was just across the street, knowing they'd immediately say no if he asked to go any further._

"_Are you sure Harry? Do you want one of us to come with you?" Remus asked kindly._

"_No, that's okay." Harry said, standing. _

_Remus stood as well. "Are you sure? I wouldn't mind. I'm sure you'd like some company."_

"_Actually, I fancy being alone, thanks." He said heading towards the door._

"_But--"_

_"I know what you're trying to say and I can take _care_ of myself, Uncle Remus. I don't need you to baby-sit me!" He snapped. Remus closed his mouth, shocked at his outburst. His parents and Sirius looked like they wanted to scold him but they too remained hesitant and quiet. Harry frowned and left, slamming the door behind him. He would rather be scolded than treated like glass._

"I don't want to be treated like I'm going to fall apart if the wind blows to strong." He said irritably. "I _hate _the way I act all the time, I wish I could make it stop but it's not that easy. I want to be stronger than that and the only way I can get stronger is to try and…maybe if I go to Fiji I will." He shrugged. "And you'll be there with me. You'll help me."

Draco glanced a Harry for a moment before a smile crept upon his handsome face, the doubts he had disappearing slowly. He wasn't as confident as Harry seemed to be but he trusted his boyfriend. If he thought Fiji would help, then he'd put some faith into this vacation as well.

* * *

Early the next day, Harry put on a brave face, dressing in army green jeans and a black t-shirt with _Komm Susser Tod_ on the front in white letters. He pulled on his black sneakers and slipped his black framed, rectangular glasses on his face before going out his door. He ran into his father in the hall downstairs and got a raised eyebrow at the shirt.

"Do I have reason to be worried?" James said slowly.

"No, it doesn't really mean what it says." Harry said. "Let's just say . . . I'm going to overcome anything that comes my way." His father didn't know what to say to that so Harry gave him a smile and told him where he was going before leaving.

Draco was waiting for him in his car, dressed in designer blue jeans and a white t-shirt. He was wearing a pair of blue tinted sunglasses on as well. As they drove over to Hermione's house, Harry took a closer look at him and bit back laughter. But the more he looked at him, the harder it was to hold it back. Eventually, Draco looked over at him with suspicion.

"What's so funny?"

Harry grinned, his Emerald eyes twinkling with merriment. "You look like Aaron Carter." Draco sputtered angrily at this, blushing bright red. Harry knew how much the blonde hated being compared to that "Untalented, fake, no styled Backstreet reject with bad hair." As he so kindly put it.

"That's heartless, Harry!" Draco scowled. Harry laughed and Draco couldn't keep up his angry act for very long.

This was what Hermione saw when she entered the car, dressed in a spring green dress that went to her knees, tan sandals and a short sleeved, tan jean jacket over the dress. She looked between the two with minimal confusion before smiling in satisfaction. Just yesterday Harry had a cloud of despair over his head and now it was like nothing had ever happened to him. So what had changed from then?

"Hey, 'Mione, doesn't Draco look like Aaron Carter?" Harry asked.

Hermione giggled, looking over the disgruntled blonde. "Now that you mention it . . ."

"Hey!"

They picked up Ron from his mother's bakery (dressed in khaki shorts and a dark blue t-shirt) and headed out to the amusement park for the day. It was like a gift to themselves for finishing the year, even though Draco would be skipping a year. It was the perfect day for the amusement park too. It was a picture perfect spring day, breezy and warm with a smattering of clouds and an abundance of sunshine.

"Hey, do you like Rollercoaster's?" Ron asked Harry suddenly.

Harry turned in his seat to look at Ron." Not really. I _hate_ the ones that go loopy and stuff. I went on one once and it totally freaked me out." He grimaced.

"They're not that bad." Draco said. "I love the rush they give you. When you go up that giant hill slowly and you're hearts beating in anticipation for what's going to happen. Then you wait at the very top with a few seconds of a spec_tacular_ view before plunging to what feels like the end of the earth and you're stomachs in your head and you're sure you've screamed your lungs out and it's so bloody fan_tastic_!" Draco said dreamily. Harry gave him a strange look as did the other two. ". . . What?" He said defensively.

"I don't think I've ever thought of a rollercoaster so . . . poetically." Ron said.

Draco grinned. "I just happen to _live_ for Rollercoaster's."

"And I live to stay away from them." Harry mumbled under his breath.

"Complain all you want Harry James, I'm getting you on one whether you like it or not." Draco smirked. Harry pouted.

* * *

The park was packed with teenagers and little kids with their parents. The screams of people filled the air as they enjoyed the thrill of one of the rollercoaster's. Harry's brave face was starting to melt because of all the people but Draco grabbed a hold of his hand again and once again, it did well in calming his pounding heart. He just had to remind himself that he had Draco, Ron _and_ Hermione with him. That no one could hurt him.

"What are we going to do first?" Hermione asked.

"Food!" Ron exclaimed happily.

Draco scowled. "We just got here; can't your black hole of a stomach wait?"

Ron glared slightly." I just want some cotton candy." He didn't wait for a reply before bounding over to a nearby stand and buying a giant stick of pink and blue cotton candy. Draco rolled his eyes. "D'you wan' sum?" He asked Hermione with a mouth full of the sugary goodness. She looked doubtful for a moment before pinching a moderate size of the stuff off, muttering about how her parents would kill her for eating pure sugar.

"Lighten up, Hermione. I'm sure a bit of sugar won't rot your teeth." Draco said, taking a piece for himself. Harry took some as well, ignoring the murderous look from Ron.

"Get your own!" He demanded.

"That thing is pretty big, Ron. We didn't think you could finish it all by your self." Harry said innocently.

Ron stared at him. "That face should be illegal, Har, seriously."

"I use to tell him that all the time." Hermione said before spotting a ride. "Oh, let's go on that!" She exclaimed.

For about two hours they went around the park riding random rides and stopping only to sate Ron's hunger. Harry could honestly say it was the most fun he's had in a long time and he could see it in the faces of his friends and his boyfriend, that they felt the same. For now, they could forget that anything had ever happened, even if it was only for a day.

"We've gotta go on that." Ron said, holding another stick of cotton candy, this one, considerably smaller. The ride was called the Acromantula. It had eight mechanical arms with closed buggies on the end of each and at the moment it was rapidly spinning around and going up and down while fast paced music, fit for a club came from speakers around it. Harry gaped as the buggies were suddenly put on an axis, much like the Ferris wheel, still spinning pretty fast. It was painted pitch black and the base, in which the arms were moving from, looked like the body of a giant spider.

". . . I think I'll pass." Harry said weakly. Hermione didn't listen. She grabbed the hand that wasn't occupied by Draco's and then grabbed Ron's who had just thrown away the stick that _used_ to have cotton candy on in and dragged them over to the line.

Harry fidgeted as they waited in the long line. He didn't see the appeal in getting the crap scared out of you like most of these people seemed to. Each time he watched that monster of a ride spin, he grew to hate it just a little more than he already did.

"Harry, it's not as bad as it looks." Draco said, noticing the apprehensive look on Harry's face.

"Yes it is."

"Come on, you're a Potter! I heard Potters were supposed to be dangerously brave people." Harry had to agree. Uncle Sirius had told him about all of his fathers little escapades when he was younger. He used to sky dive, bungee jump, deep sea dive—anything that could give him a thrill. Harry sighed before putting a determined look on his face. This couldn't possibly be any worse than what that _man _put him through. "That's the Harry Potter I know." Draco grinned.

After 10 minutes of waiting in line, they finally reached the front. It was two people in a buggy so Hermione and Ron went in one and Draco and Harry went into another. Harry made sure he was strapped in tight; he could just _see_ himself falling out. A man went around checking to see that they were all safely secure and finally stopped at them. He noticed the slightly worried but overlapped with bravery face Harry had on and winked.

"It's not that bad, kid." The man said, shutting and locking their door. "It's actually kind of fun." Harry ignored him and grabbed Draco's hand.

"You're making it worse than it is you know." Draco said quietly. "Just relax. It's not that bad."

* * *

They staggered away from the ride and out of the swinging exit doors, Ron laughing with his arm wrapped around Hermione's waist.

"That was awesome!" He said. Hermione was rather dizzy but nodded her head in agreement, blushing a little but smiling all the same. Harry was just trying to maintain his balance.

"That wasn't bad now was it?" Draco said, steadying the other boy, barely noticing the small flinch.

Harry raised an eyebrow." And what's your definition of ' Bad'?" He asked. Draco grinned slyly and nodded towards the monster behind him. Harry turned and stared wide-eyed at the biggest rollercoaster in the park, also the fastest as well. It was only built a year ago but it was the most famous thing in the whole park, besides the funnel cakes and the cheese fries. It was called the Hungarian Horntail, the fastest thing on this side of the continent. It was also the longest ride there. Not only did it have at least eight loops, large and medium, but also turns twists and high cliffs that dropped you almost vertical. The Hungarian Horntail circled most of the whole park, cutting off at the kiddy section and the food courts, which were at the very end of the park.

"No." Harry deadpanned.

"Hey, what happened to that Potter bravery?" Draco said.

"It ran away at the sight of this monstrosity."

"If you go on it I'll buy you chocolate covered strawberries." Draco said sweetly. Harry bit his lower lip. The temptation was too great. He _was_ a Potter and his father had always told him to be proud to be one and to embrace the adventurous side.

"Fine! But you better get me a lot of chocolate covered strawberries." Harry glared. Draco grinned triumphantly. "And no more intense rides! I don't want an early heart attack." He said as they walked towards it. "And you have to wear a dress for a week."

"Hey! That's going a little too far." The blonde warned as Ron guffawed. Harry grinned cheekily.

This wait was even longer. Several rowdy groups of friends were in line waiting excitedly. Harry just couldn't understand it. Did people _like_ being scared out of their minds?

"Yup." Draco said. Harry looked at him in confusion.

"Did I say that out loud?" He asked. Draco nodded.

"There's something about being so scared until you almost piss yourself that makes people want to do what they do. Thrill seekers I believe."

"Are you one of these Thrill Seekers?" Harry asked.

"I don't know, I guess. I'm not really scared of them or anything. I just like _really_ fast things."

"You sure don't _drive_ like it." Ron muttered. Draco elbowed him in the side. "Ow!" He glared.

"Unlike _you_ I don't have a disregard for the rules." He sneered.

After almost an hour of waiting they finally reached the front. They were seats but not carts so their feet were dangling in the open air. There was a bar that went over their heads and braced their upper bodies, shoulder to waist. A seatbelt connected from between their legs to the bar to keep it in place. The four of them were in a row by themselves in the _very_ front, much to Harry's dismay. The seats were all in rows of four and from both sides it looked like a very long dragon. From the front was a Dragon's head with horns and ridges sticking from its head and sharp teeth.

Two people went up and down the row, checking to make sure everyone was tightly secure until they finally stopped in the front after walking up 8 flights of stairs. The woman who was checking them took one look at Harry and started to laugh rather maniacally.

"Have fun!" She said in a singsong voice.

"Was that supposed to comfort me?" Harry muttered.

"Once again, you're over-reacting. Believe me, it won't be so bad." Draco said encouragingly. Just as it started moving, a loud roar sounded in their ears, and more than a few people screamed before falling into laughter. They started out slowly on the tracks, going straight for about 10 seconds before suddenly dropping, earning several screams, especially from Harry. Draco was laughing, not only from the thrill but also from the near high pitched scream coming from Harry's mouth.

He couldn't wait until he got the pictures.

After the sudden drop it went into a spiraling twist before going up then sideways and back down again, spiraling once more, it looped and turned and then twisted some more, making it's way upwards where it straightened out again before doing a series of smaller loops and then going up a large hill that barely slowed them down.

"OhmygoohmygodohmygodogmyGOOOOOODD!!!!" Harry's eyes widened at how high up they were and he screamed, just as much as everyone else but for a different reason, as they barreled down and into a twisting loop before leaving them upside down. They then went spiraling upwards. After that they were left right side up and dizzy. This is how the whole ride went with wild and crazy spins, twists, turns, drops, falls and loops. It was truly the best thing in the whole park and the most terrifying thing Harry had been on.

Afterwards, every person on the ride came stumbling out of the ride, too dizzy and laughing from the thrill so hard that they could barely walk. Draco collected the pictures and laughed, showing them to the others who laughed at Harry and Ron's face. They were both wide-eyed and screaming their heads off. Ron's face was almost as red as his hair.

"That was so much fun!" Hermione squealed, stumbling into someone. "Oops, Sorry!" She apologized. The person only laughed it off, having been on the ride as well.

"See? That wasn't so bad!" Draco exclaimed.

"All I have to say is if I can survive _that_ thing. Then I must be invincible." And with that he stumbled into Draco, knocking both of them into the ground. Harry laughed a little, looking down at the smiling Draco. Harry leaned in close to Draco for a second. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure." He said distractedly. Harry's lips were looking particularly inviting at the moment and if it weren't for the fact that they were in the middle of an Amusement Park, he'd probably snog him senseless but from the look Harry had on his face, he was sure _Harry_ would be the one snogging him. Was Harry even ready to start doing that without flashbacks? He leaned his head up.

"Where's my Chocolate Covered Strawberries?" He said sweetly. Draco groaned and dropped his head back to the ground.

What a tease.

a/n: I didn't change much in this chapter. Took out some crappy sentences and added a few other ones. On to the next edit! Hopefully I can get around to writing new chapters soon…


	3. Plotting, More Plotting, and Matangi Isl...

A/n: Long awaited, eh? It will probably suck really _really_ bad. Or at least it's not up to par with the other chapters. But read it anyway! It took me nearly two years to write! (Sad isn't it?) I'll explain stuff at the end of the chapter but don't rush or anything.

_**Love Me Back Together**_

**Chapter Three: Plotting, More Plotting, and Matangi Island.**

**

* * *

**

Later that night, Harry lay awake in bed thinking over the day he just had. It was probably the best thing he could have asked for, a day spent with his three friends with no worries no burdens and chocolate covered strawberries. He was so glad he saved some to bring home. He had a feeling he'd have a taste for them tomorrow.

" Shouldn't you be asleep?" Came his mother's voice from the doorway. Harry smiled at her.

" Probably. I was just going over all the fun I had today." She walked in the room, dressed in a pair of cotton pants and a t-shirt.

" Oh?" She sat on his bed next to him.

" Yeah. Dray actually managed to get me to ride the Hungarian Horntail." He grinned. His mum laughed.

" Really? I thought you hated roller-coasters." She grinned.

" Well . . .I do but . . .you only live once right?" Harry smiled. " I don't want to spend the rest of my life in a shell because I'm afraid." She knew what he meant by this and she was glad her son was such an intelligent boy. She smiled back and pulled him into a hug.

" I love you, you know." She said softly.

" I know. I love you too." She stayed with him all night, mostly just talking. They hadn't done that in a long time. Their mother-son bond wavered from all the time he spent with Draco and from the kidnapping but now they were strengthening. Maybe, when Harry got back from Fiji, they'd be able to talk more and maybe, her little boy would be just as fine as he pretended to be sometimes.

**

* * *

**

It was an active June 20th that greeted Harry, sometime in the afternoon. He could hear little kids giggling and screaming, splashing in a backyard pool. He wished _he_ had a pool to splash in. It would be better than having to bear the boring humid days that he kept waking up to.

Harry groaned and practically rolled out of bed that morning. His body was so tired from all the exercise yesterday. Just 2 weeks ago, his grandfather stopped by saying that he didn't want his grandson to be helpless in Fiji and have to rely on Draco all the time so he started training him with Draco's help. He took him to self-defense classes just about everyday. Of course, Draco and his grandfather stayed with him while he took the one-on-one lessons. It was very tiresome but he appreciated it. He didn't want to become a leech and never let Draco go.

He yawned a bit before grabbing some clothes and heading towards the bathroom. He and Draco still had to go out and get a few other things for the trip. All they really had were clothing. They still needed toiletries and swimwear. Harry needed to buy a new sketchbook since his other one was full already He wouldn't miss sketching new surroundings for anything.

He stripped of his nightclothes once in the bathroom before turning the water on to near scalding. He couldn't _stand_ lukewarm water. He stepped in and sighed in contentment before thoroughly washing himself.

Harry was starting to worry about his father though. He figured that he would at least try to convince him _not_ to go to Fiji once but he hadn't. He'd been encouraging him to go, making sure he didn't doubt the trip. He wasn't sure if it was because he wanted to--

' Ew!' He scrunched up his face at the though. ' _Don't_ go there.' He told himself.

If that were the case then he'd _gladly_ go to Fiji. He didn't want to be here while his parents " rekindled their marriage.".

**

* * *

**

James had the perfect plan.

He had found a way to not only have the perfect time with his wife, but to also keep an eye on his son at the same time. He sat in his study with a mischievous grin on his face almost all morning.

' Now only to do all of this and convince Lily to go along with it.' He tapped a finger to his chin in thought.

" What are you planning now, James Andrew Potter?" Lily stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips and her beautiful eyes narrowed.

" Lily-Bear!" He hopped out of his chair and pulled her into the room, quietly shutting the door behind him.

" James . . ." She said warningly.

" Lily, listen. How about we go on a vacation together? You know, like a romantic get-away!" He said enthusiastically. Lily frowned at him. He had that I'm-innocent-and-not-planning-anything look on his face again. She hadn't seen that look since he and Sirius planned a dinner for her right before he proposed.

" Sounds like fun, where too?" She said, playing along.

" Well I was thinking we could go to Fiji—"

" I knew it." She said flatly. James dropped his face and sighed.

" Lily!" He whined, putting his arms around her. " Think about it, we get to go on a _nice_ vacation away from this old place, _Sirius_ interrupting our only alone time every five minutes, _and_ we get to watch over Harry! It's perfect." He said happily. " I mean, it's not that I don't trust Draco to take care of him for us but I know we'd both feel better knowing he's perfectly fine." He said, putting on his puppy-dog face. Lily pouted. She really didn't want to give in but those eyes of his worked magic sometimes.

" You have to promise that we won't follow him around like stalkers and we'll stay in a different hotel. We'll also have to take a later flight. We can't be seen if you're going to do this." She said sternly. He grinned widely.

" I promise, Lily-Bear." He swooped her up and placed her on the couch. " You won't regret it." She raised an eyebrow.

" I should hope not." She licked her lips and grinned. " Now come here." She giggled. He growled before pouncing.

* * *

Harry stood in front of security check nervously. His family, Hermione and Ron, and Draco's mother were there with them. They weren't allowed passed security check so they had to say their good-byes there.

" Now you two better be on your best behavior over there, you here?" Lily said, hugging the two boys. " No funny business and spend wisely. I don't want either of you coming back with two more suitcases." She said, pointedly looking at Draco, along with Narcissa.

" Just remember dears that shopping is all well and good but too much shopping puts holes in your pockets and nasty blisters from too many bags." Narcissa grimaced while everyone else laughed.

" You better make sure nothing happens to him, Draco." Jake warned, holding Eve who was watching them all curiously. " I'm sure you'd like to keep your life for the next 30 or 40 years." Draco winced at the threat.

" Don't worry, I'd jump out of an airplane before I let anything happen to him."

" Damn straight!" Sirius, James and Rich bellowed. Several people walking by gave them strange looks.

" You three are getting embarrassing again . . ." Rose muttered. Harry smiled. He could never say he wasn't loved.

" Now you have the cell phone numbers I gave you?" Lily asked. Harry nodded. " Good. Don't loose them and call us as soon as you get there, okay?" Harry smiled.

" Of course. See you guys in a few weeks." Harry said. " _You'll_ behave won't you?" He said, his eyes flashing. Everyone smiled brightly.

" We will!" They chorused. Harry laughed.

" Of course you will, you have Eve to keep you in line." He said, waving at the baby. She gurgled happily.

The two boys quickly made it through security and after waving at their family one last time, moved up the escalator and towards their plane.

Two hours later, James and Lily were rushing to the Airport. They had about 40 minutes to catch their flight and who knew how long security would take. They had about 2 suitcases each and a small carry on as well. After having their luggage checked, they dodged the crowds of people and headed for security. It took them about 25 minutes to get through security and it would take them a while longer just to reach the area where their plane would be.

15 minutes later they arrived just in time. Everyone was starting to board already. At the same time they arrived several other people arrived, nearly running into them.

" Oh, I'm sor—DAD?" Lily exclaimed in disbelief. Rich laughed nervously. " Mom . . .Hermione? What the hell do you all think you're doing?" She put her hands on her hips and glowered at them. It seemed that almost everyone, who had been at the airport to bid Harry and Draco farewell, had the same idea as them. The only people who _weren't_ there, was James mother, She was currently resting at home on doctor's orders, and Jake who would have _liked_ to go but Carmen had forbidden him to go and leave her with a baby all alone.

" _This _will be interesting." Sirius muttered. Remus, who was standing behind him, nodded.

**

* * *

**

Once they were in the air, it wasn't so bad. The sounds of the plane and the quiet chatter soothed Harry. Draco was currently looking out the darkening sky with some interest. Of course he had been on an airplane before but it was still like his first time flying every time he looked out the window. He looked back over to Harry and smiled. The younger teen was half-asleep, one of his books lying in his lap. He pushed up the arm separating them and took the book out of Harry's lap, putting it back in the backpack he got it out of. Harry unconsciously moved closer to Draco, resting his head on his shoulder. Draco cautiously slipped his arm around Harry and fell into a light doze.

**

* * *

**

After a lot of pleading with passengers to switch seats with them, Lily, James, Sirius, Remus, Rose, Rich, Narcissa, Hermione and Ron all managed to sit in the same area. Lily, James, Sirius, and Remus were in the middle row. Rose and Rich were to their left. Ron and Hermione were on their right and Narcissa was sitting next to a French man in front of them.

" How on _Earth_ did you get your parents to let you go?" Lily finally asked Ron and Hermione. The two teens looked at her with guilty smiles.

" I kind of just left a note . . ." Ron admitted. " She'll probably kill me when I get back but Hermione was going to go alone and I, er, couldn't let her do that." He said, his ears turning red.

" My mother knows." Hermione said, blushing a little. " She didn't want me to go but she knew I would even if both her and my father forbade me. I trust Draco and all but . . .I just, it's just something . . ." She mumbled, turning back in her seat. The group grew silent; knowing exactly what Hermione had been trying to say.

They felt it too.

* * *

" Do you know where we'll be staying?" Harry asked. In about two hours, they'd reach Fiji and Harry had completely forgotten about the most important thing.

" Oh . . .um, wait." Draco said, searching through his pockets. He pulled out a folded piece of paper. " It's that note those women sent us with the tickets." He said, noticing Harry's curious look. He unfolded it and quickly read something on the back. " We're suppose to be staying at Matangi Private Island Resort. " He said. " I doubt the plane will land there so we'll probably have to get a boat there." Harry nodded. " Excite yet?" He asked. Harry smiled softly.

" A little." Draco raised an eyebrow. Harry laughed quietly. " Okay, maybe a lot. I've never been to Fiji before. I've seen a lot of beautiful islands when I was younger and I kind of miss that." He admitted.

" Yeah, when Lucius," He scowled at the name. " Started getting really famous with his business, we stopped going on so many vacations. The only time we really went anywhere was for business trips. It was a bloody _drag_." He sighed.

" Well this one will be a good trip." Harry told him. " We'll make the best of it and do everything and see everything. Even if it rains." Draco laughed. " I'm serious! I don't want _anything_ to ruin this trip." Harry said. Draco gently kissed him on the forehead, a gesture he often did now/

" And nothing will, Har. _Nothing_."

* * *

It was _hot_ and Lucius Malfoy had never been angrier. The only safe house he had left was here, in the hot, dry climate of South Africa. It was a small house, probably the only one with clean water and a sufficient air conditioner but this didn't matter. To Lucius, this was hell. He had been reduced to hiding here, seeing as America, Scotland, Ireland and even France had a warrant for his arrest. Apparently a few of his so-called allies leaked information about his underground dealings in those countries. They may not be able to get him for conspiracy and murder but they sure as hell could get him for the countless of other things he's done in his life.

Being hated was a bitch.

A knock sounded on the front door, stirring him out of his brooding. He put down the glass of unpleasantly warm wine and grabbed his gun off of the still dusty end table. He peaked through the dusty white curtains and sneered before whipping the door open, effectively startling the short man standing there.

" You took your time." He snapped. He had been dreadfully out of sorts since going into hiding and it showed. His tan slacks weren't neatly pressed and he wore no shoes or socks. His white blouse was un-tucked and unbuttoned, showing off a pale, toned chest and his once neat hair was loose around his face.

" S-sorry. I couldn't find the house." The man said nervously. Lucius scoffed.

" This is a bloody shack." He muttered. " Get in here and lock the door behind you." He demanded, walking away from the door. The man did as told and apprehensively followed Lucius into the sitting area. " Sit." Lucius said impatiently, sitting on the couch. The man sat across from him in one of the chairs. " What information have you brought for me?" Lucius asked.

" Your son is no longer in Britain, neither is P-Potter." The man said. " They're on a vacation in Fiji. They should be arriving in an hour or so." He said. Lucius nodded, pleased with this information.

" Where in Fiji are they?"

" Matangi, sir. They'll be there for two weeks."

" I see . . .and do you have that private jet ready for me?" Lucius asked. Originally, he was going to use the private jet to take him to one of the few men who were still loyal to him so he could get his identity changed and have all of his assets, the ones not given to Narcissa, moved to a different account.

" Um . . .the pilot has demanded you pay him more . . .or he'll report you to the authorities." The man said. He flinched violently when Lucius growled, gripping his gun tighter with the urge to shoot someone.

" _Fine_. Double his payment and tell him to be ready to leave tomorrow." He said. " Get out before I shoot you." He hissed. The man squeaked and scurried away. Lucius leaned into the couch with a pleasant smile on his face and unpleasant thoughts in his head.

* * *

It was evening by the time Harry and Draco landed. They both stretched, having been in a sitting position for most of the ride.

" It's so good to be back on land." Harry sighed. Draco agreed and they set off to find their luggage. It didn't take long before they found their suitcases, seeing as they were the most expensive ones there, courtesy of Narcissa. After getting their things, Draco converted some money into the Fijian Dollar.

" So how are we going to get to Matangi?" Harry asked as they searched for the exit. He was doing a pretty good job of ignoring the fact that there were a lot of people around him. It gave him hope that he _would_ be better by the time their vacation was over.

" I haven't a clue." Draco said.

" That's not good . . ." Harry sighed.

" Don't worry, Harry." Draco said. Once they found the exit, they noticed several buses lined up along with a few taxicabs. " Excuse me." Draco said to one of the men leaning against a taxi. " Um . . .we're trying to get to the Matangi Island resort . . ." The man smiled.

" I can get you to a port nearby in no time." He said in good English. Draco helped him put their luggage in the trunk before climbing into the back with Harry. A few minutes after they left the small airport, the driver began to speak. " So what brings you to Fiji?" He asked.

" Just a vacation." Draco answered. " It's been a rough year." The man nodded.

" You've come to the right place then." The man smiled into the rearview mirror. " You'll wish you _lived_ here by the time your vacations up. Especially at Matangi. It's absolutely divine." He informed them.

For the rest of the ride, their driver, Bantu, graciously told them a bit about the history of Fiji and why it was such a wonderful place to just get away from it all.

" The owners of the private islands do their best to keep them as natural as possible. It would be a shame if they didn't." Bantu said. " The natural beauty is just . . .wow." He breathed. " It's the perfect romantic getaway." He said, winking at Draco in the mirror. The blonde blushed a little.

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at a small fishing village. The sun was on the way to setting and the air was comfortably warm.

" How much do I owe you?" Draco asked after their luggage was out of the cab.

Bantu took a quick look at the meter in the front of the cab. " 27 FJD." He said. Draco handed him the correct amount. " Thanks. Enjoy your time here, you two." Bantu said before driving off.

As they took the dirt path towards the docks, they were greeted by most of the people. Some even offered to help carry their luggage but they declined politely. Harry smiled nervously and shyly greeted a few of the people.

" How can I help you gentlemen?" The plump man asked once they made it to the docks.

" We're heading to Matangi." Draco said.

" Okay, can I have your names please?" The man asked, looking at a paper in front of him.

" Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter." The man skimmed the list.

" Substituting for Mrs.Chang and her daughter?" Draco nodded; assuming it was the two Chinese women from the restaurant. " Alright, follow me." He said.

The boat the man led him too wasn't fancy or anything. Draco almost thought it would be a fishing boat, seeing as most of the boats were. The man helped them load their things on to the boat and they set off for Matangi.

" Wow . . ." Harry breathed as they docked at Matangi. The sun was nearly gone, setting a peaceful fiery glow upon the island. Torches lit the docks and smaller ones lined the beach, further down. The man graciously helped them unload.

" If you follow the path of the torches, you'll find your Bure." He said.

" Bure?" Harry mumbled.

" Your vacation home." The man clarified, he pulled a key out of his pocket and handed it to Draco. " Enjoy your stay, you two." He said before setting off. They waved before starting their short walk along the beach.

" You know, this would be better if we didn't have luggage hanging all over us." Draco muttered. Harry chuckled.

" I guess we'll just have to do this sometime, without the luggage." Harry said, a content look in his eyes. Draco smiled widely.

A few minutes later, they finally came upon their Bure. It was nearly camouflaged in all of the trees and flowers that grew around it. They found a small pathway that led to some steps and followed it. As they approached the front door, the outdoor light flicked on, giving them a better look of the porch they now stood on. It was completely made of wood, as was the Bure. The windows were the size of the door and tinted green. Harry yawned as Draco opened the door and they stepped inside. He flipped the light switch and they looked around appreciatively.

It was perfectly spacious and quaint. From here, they could see the small kitchen with a mini fridge in the corner. They were relieved to see a small station for tea making. There was also a small sitting area; the chairs and couch were whickered with plush white cushioning with a few red and green throw pillows. The coffee table was also whickered and decorated with two vases of bright red flowers. There was also a few brochures lying on it. They could see the bathroom to their right, which also had a set of doors that led to a balcony. Draco and Harry left their luggage by the door and ventured up the spiral staircase where they found themselves in the bedroom.

" Oh my . . ." Draco and Harry said, looking at the bedroom with wide eyes after Harry flipped on one of the bedside table lamps. The only thing in it was the queen size bed with white sheets and red flowers artistically arced on the bed. The same red flowers were also placed in a large vase beside one of the bedside tables. Just like the rest of the Bure, the walls were made of bamboo and the floor was finely polished and made of dark wood. But this wasn't what had caught their attention the most. There were no windows in the room, only spaces where the windows could have been. Directly across from the bed, was the largest window, framed by red-flowered plants. It was quite obvious that if it hadn't been dark, they'd be looking out at the ocean.

" This place is magnificent." Harry commented, walking over to the large open window. " It's so open . . .you'd think there would be bugs or something." Draco walked up beside him.

" Even if there were . . .I don't think it would bother me." He said softly, looking down at the smaller boy.

After finally realizing that it was quiet late and they were both tired, they dragged their luggage up the steps and pulled out their nightclothes.

" I'll sleep on the couch." Draco said after he got out of the bathroom.

" You don't _have_ to." Harry said guiltily.

" Are you ready for me to sleep in the same bed as you?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow. Harry flushed and looked at the floor. " I didn't think so." Draco said, walking up to the younger boy. He placed a soft kiss on the top of his head. " Go get some sleep. Besides, the couch looks almost as comfortable as the bed." He said.

" Okay." Harry sighed. " I love you, Draco." Harry said softly, his eyes shining. " Goodnight."

" Goodnight, love." Draco said. " I love you too."

* * *

Meanwhile, the rest of the gang had made it to Fiji with only one slight, teeny weenie, little problem.

They had no where to stay.

They ended up having to spend the night at the airport until they could contact a hotel or something. It was uncomfortable, especially with the cots the staff generously let them use. The airport was stuffy when the air-conditioning wasn't on and it was just plain creepy having to stay in an airport by themselves.

" This is Gods way of telling us we should let Harry and Draco be." Ron said, startling a few of them out of sleep. Their voices echoed in the emptiness of the airport.

" Ron, this is the _third_ time you've said that." Hermione mumbled from her cot.

" No, before I said _is_ this Gods way of telling us we should let Harry and Draco be. I was questioning whether it was. I thought about it and now I _know_ it is."

" Oh my Goodness . . ." Lily muttered, pulling the thin blanket over her head.

" Shut _up_, Weasley or so help me God I'll find a way to give you a hundred detentions next year." Sirius growled crankily. He enjoyed his sleep uninterrupted.

" Okay, Okay."

Silence . . .

" You know, it _could_ be a voodoo curse put on us by the custodian—"

"SHUT UP!"

* * *

A/N: Okay, before you go and review, either to tell me I suck or something, I must explain myself. I know I've done so on my bio page but I'll feel better if I can clear all that off and instead explain everything here.

For one, junior year last year was hectic. They give us so much stuff to do; I barely had time to think of something to write, though I did try. The fact that I was falling in love played a factor in all this. Hehe . . .well, I thought I would be able to write when summer came, even when I was in the UK but I was dreadfully busy then, you know, talking with cute people with nice accents. (Cackle) So when I came back, I slept all the time _then_ I went on a camping trip with my family and boyfriend. After that, I tried to write, seriously, but I was distracted by thoughts of other stories and my senior year. By the time school started, I had to concentrate on that, spending time with the BF and my job. I was a complete stress ball from October till December (I only had a seasonal job). With trying to pass Trig (still haven't) and attempting to get at least a D in Comp. Programming, I was always doing that.

Then I had to take tutoring for the friggin PSSA's (Pennsylvania school state assessment) I had failed it junior year and we need it to graduate for some stupid reason. Luckily I only needed to pass the math part, which I did. All the while, I've been sending out applications for college and visiting them. That took up a few Saturdays and Sundays. By the way, I got into Indiana University of Pittsburgh (yayness!) and I even got a full scholarship! (Probably the best part of the year) By this time, whenever I even tried to write any of my stories posted here on I'd come upon a mental block the size of the Great Wall of China and I needed a nuke to knock it over. I didn't knock it over until today, I suppose.

Apparently, all I needed to do was reread SKF and LMBT . . .(don't throw things at me!) 'Cause after I did, I had this overwhelming urge to just _finish_ the chapter. It took the whole day but I did it! It might suck but it's a start and hopefully it'll get better and I won't take as long to update! Now for the rest of my stories . . .

Anyway, review and be gentle with me! I'm in a fragile state of mind. (Whimpers)


	4. The Strain

Love Me Back Together.

Chapter Four: The Strain.

The night had long since gone and the sun had risen, shining in all it's glory. He was sure the sunrise had been quite the spectacle but when pitted against his lover, it just couldn't compare. He'd been sitting in the same spot lovingly gazing at the sleeping face of his boyfriend of barely a year, close yet so far away. He didn't dare lie down completely because he knew that if he did, the flashbacks would come back full force. But he was content to just lean against the headboard and look, drinking in the sight and never getting his fill.

It wasn't until around noon that Harry finally began to stir and Draco watched fascinated. Harry sighed slightly, not from depression or sadness but from complete satisfaction. A yawn escaped his lips and he stretched a little before unconsciously moving closer to Draco, grasping his pajama pants with one hand and snuggling into his thigh for a few more moments of sweet slumber. Draco's hand hovered uncertainly over the top of Harry's head, so desperately wanting to run his fingers through those silken locks but afraid of the painful reaction he'd receive should Harry awaken. In the end, he settled his hand beside Harry's head and stared longingly. Harry made a satisfied noise in the back of his throat and clutched at him tighter. Draco bit his lip and blushed.

_Oh what you do to me, Harry…_

Harry's eyes finally opened and the first thought of awareness was; _my, what a soft pillow this is._

"Good morning, love." Harry blinked and jumped away from the fleshy pillow but he relaxed almost instantly once his blurred vision recognized the blonde hair. He sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"Good morning." Draco handed him his glasses and he smiled gratefully once the world came into clear view. "How long have you been sitting there?"

"Since before dawn, I think."

"What? Where you having trouble sleeping? Was it the couch?" Draco shook his head and laughed a little at his concern.

"I went to check up on you last night because, you know, I worry," He flushed a little. "And…well, I just remember feeling like I never wanted to take my eyes off you again."

"Oh." Harry said dumbly, blushing as red as the flower on the nightstand. Draco had always been romantic but he couldn't help but get the feeling that perhaps, he was becoming even _more_ romantic. _Is it the Island? _

"So," Draco sighed, breaking the silence. "Why don't we get showered and dressed and go for brunch? I don't know about you but I'm famished." Harry smiled and nodded.

* * *

"There are so many things to do. I'm not sure what to do first." Draco mumbled, reading the brochure later that day at brunch. Harry set his glass down and plucked the brochure from Draco's hand.

"Well, do you want to start out light or heavy?" Harry asked. His eyes lit up with interest at some of the things, having never done them before. Whatever Draco had been about to say died on the tip of his tongue, when he saw the sparkle.

"Whatever you want, Harry." He said distractedly. Harry looked at him weirdly and he forced himself out of his stupor. _Get a hold of yourself, man!_ "I mean, what would you prefer?"

"We have a lot of time, I think. Maybe…today we could just explore, by ourselves?" He asked unsurely. Of course, this was fine with Draco. He much rather preferred not to be disturbed by other tourists anyway.

"Sounds splendid." He shot him a brilliant smile and Harry could only smile back, assured.

* * *

"Well, it's better than the damn Airport." Ron muttered, dumping his suitcase onto the hotel bed.

"You could be a little more enthusiastic, Ronald." Hermione scolded from the adjoining room. Ron rolled his eyes. "Don't roll your eyes at me, either." He _really_ wished he could get away with throwing something at her.

Sirius gave him a hearty pat on the shoulder. "Welcome to the dating life, my good fellow." Remus, however, _could_ get away with throwing things and gladly pelted Sirius in the back of his head with his own toothbrush. "Ow, come on, Moony! I was only kidding!" He whined, running over to the gentle faced man with a great, child-like pout. Remus chuckled and closed his eyes contentedly when Sirius wrapped his strong arms around him loosely. "You know_ I_ like it when you predict what I'm going to say." He murmured lowly.

Ron froze in sifting through his suitcase. _No…_

"And you know I like throwing things at you." He quipped back. Sirius buried his face into Remus' neck and inhaled his masculine scent deeply.

"Is that so?" He purred, planting a chaste kiss on the junction between his shoulder and neck. _Thank God for v-neck t-shirts._

Remus shivered as Sirius' arms tightened around him and he _had_ to bite his lip, lest something extremely enticing escape from between them.

"Blimey, you two; do you mind getting a room that _isn't_ occupied by under-aged, clearly heterosexual teens!?" Ron screeched in a panic, without even turning around.

"Sirius, Remus, behave!" Lily scolded, poking her head into the room with a glare, which didn't even falter when she saw just how intimate they were with each other. "Or Do I have to stick my mother in here to keep you two in line?"

"_Please_." Ron mumbled helplessly.

"No, no, we'll behave." Sirius grumbled, reluctantly pulling away from his companion. "Spoilsport…"

"What was that?" Her glare turned deadly and Sirius laughed nervously.

"Nothing at all, Lils!"

"I'm sure it wasn't. Just behave; you're not exactly on a romantic getaway for two here."

"Yes, mother." He muttered.

"Keep it up, Sirius…" She said threateningly before going back to the other room. She shared the room with Rose, Narcissa, and Hermione while the boys shared the other room. It was a bit crowded but seeing as they could only get last minute rooms, it would have to do.

"Lily, what was the name of the resort they were staying at?" James asked, sifting through a pile of brochures on the table. He was being of no use, as usual when his mind was pre-occupied.

"Matangi, dear."

"That's not too far away… I don't think." He hummed thoughtfully. "How about we go look for them later? Just to see how everything's going?"

"Let's give them the first couple of days to themselves at _least_." Rose said, peering out the balcony windows with interest. "That way we can enjoy the vacation as well."

"I don't know mom—"

"Sounds wonderful! We can go snorkeling later." Richard piped in loudly from the bathroom.

"H-hey, Da—"

"We haven't eaten yet, Mr. Potter." Hermione reminded him. He walked out of the bathroom, adjusting his belt.

"We'll eat first and snorkel later then."

"Perhaps visit a few souvenir shops." Narcissa pondered, from her bed.

"Hey are you guys list—"

"Oh, I saw the most adorable little t-shirt when we walked past the gift shop! It was perfect for Eve." Lily cooed.

James growled with frustration as his entire family pointedly ignored him. Honestly, what were they thinking? Harry was at risk and they were talking about souvenirs and snorkeling! Weren't they even the least bit worried?

"James." He was pulled out of his sulking by an empathetic Remus. "We're all worried about Harry but obsessing over him won't do anyone any good. Enjoy spending time with Lily for a couple a days; Lord knows you two need the relaxation." He smiled softly and gave his shoulder a squeeze.

He was right, as usual. Harry wasn't the only one suffering from his ordeal. There had been many sleepless nights over him, worrying and comforting one another; when they weren't consoling each other, they sometimes found themselves fighting, over trivial things mostly. They needed to relieve their own tension before trying to do anything about Harry's.

"Fine." He said, defeated. Remus smiled, satisfactorily. "But can I at least call them? They never called yesterday."

"Oh! I'd completely forgotten!" Lily gasped, finally tuning into her husband. "Call them, call them now!" She urged. Needless to say, he didn't need to be told twice.

* * *

After realizing that they were both wearing sandals, which weren't exactly good for exploring, they returned to the Bure to switch into a more comfortable pair of shoes. It was on their way out of the door again, that Harry's cellphone rang.

"Harry speaking."

"_Harry! You didn't call us yesterday." _His mother scolded. He slumped guiltily and Draco put a concerned hand on his shoulder. Harry mouthed 'My mother' and Draco relaxed.

"Sorry, mum. I completely forgot and by the time we got to our Bure, we were both exhausted."

"_Well, I guess that's alright…just don't do it again!" _

"I won't, I promise."

"_I'd talk longer but I have a feeling you're busy. Are you and Draco about to go out?"_

"We're just going to explore the island a little. There are a couple of nature trails we wanted to explore. I'll take some really nice pictures for you." He blinked in confusion when a chorus of 'Aw's' sounded in the background accompanied by something getting smacked. "Where are you, mum? It's kind of noisy."

"_O-oh, we're over your grandfather's house. They're watching…a movie."_

"Oh…" He paused for a moment, hearing shushing sounds and another smack but shook his head. His family really was a little odd at times. "Well, I don't know if the phone works further up the mountain. Do you want to talk to Draco before we go?"

"_Oh no, don't let me keep you from your fun. Just tell him we said hello. Have a good time, love!"_

He smiled and pocketed his phone again; turning to Draco he offered a slight smile. "They said hello." Draco raised an eyebrow and they descended the steps.

"Are they all sulking together because we're no longer there?" He mused. He wouldn't put it past Harry's family to sulk like three-year-olds at his absence.

"I guess. It sounded like they were having a lot of fun."

"Of course they'd have all the fun while we're gone." Draco sighed dramatically. Harry laughed and with minimal hesitation, gently laced his fingers with Draco's. Draco was surprised enough to stop in his tracks. Harry rarely took the initiative for physical contact these days.

"It's not true." Harry said softly, his eyes shining up at him. "We'll be having our own fun, here—together." Harry blushed, mainly because that was the cheesiest thing he'd ever said.

Draco blushed because he had taken the statement the completely wrong way.

He cleared his throat, "You're right." And they continued walking.

Now, he didn't like to doubt things, though it happened from time to time but he couldn't help but wonder if vacationing with Harry _alone_ was really such a good idea. He had completely forgotten how utterly unintentionally, irresistibly, _seductive_ Harry could be. He always said the right words at the wrong time and perhaps had this been a time before March; they'd be making passionate love somewhere on this white sandy beach, the sun beating down on their naked skin relentlessly, making them hotter…sweatier…

"Are you okay?" Harry pressed a hand to Draco's forehead. His blonde boyfriend was incredibly flushed and his eyes were glazed over. He looked like he had heatstroke! "Do you want to go back? You don't look to good." Draco managed to bring himself out of his most vivid daydreams long enough to hear the last thing Harry said.

"No! No, I'm fine." He assured him.

"You're all flushed, Draco. You put sunscreen on, didn't you?" He asked warningly.

"Yes, mother." He rolled his eyes but his grin betrayed his apparent annoyance. He could tell Harry was about to repeat himself so he silenced him with a slender finger. He tried not to pay too much attention to the softness of the lips he'd been denied for some time, knowing that if he did, he'd only drive himself insane. "There are only so many hours in a day; let's get going." With that said, he gently tugged Harry forward.

* * *

The scenery was breathtaking. Luscious trees and exotic flowers and fruits surrounded the narrow path. Brightly colored birds were perched comfortably along some of these trees and a butterfly or two flitted past. Harry found himself almost constantly taking pictures a small smile on his face with his eyes wide as they took in everything around him with surprising velocity. So absorbed was he in his picture-taking that he didn't notice Draco's unwavering gaze until he had turned around to snap a picture at a bird in flight.

"What?" He asked hesitantly, suddenly feeling very self-conscious about himself. He wondered if maybe he had a tear in his white t-shirt that he didn't know about.

"It's just…ever since we got here…you've become even more irresistible than you were before." His voice was husky and his eyes a deep, cloudy gray that Harry hadn't seen in a long time. "You go very well with nature, Harry." He breathed, unconsciously stepping closer. Harry's heart thumped painfully in his chest and his eyes widened fearfully for a fraction of a second before he regained his senses. But it was enough for Draco to call back his raging libido once more and the small fire that had begun to grow between them died out to a smoky, incense-like burn. Harry sighed and peered up at Draco with apologetic emerald eyes as his heart slowly but surely slowed to a more normal beat.

"It's not that I don't want to." Harry whispered, staring at the dirt path. He gripped the camera tightly. Draco smiled sadly.

"I know."

"I want to try though." He said fervently, his eyes taking on a fiercer green as they snapped up to meet his. Draco blinked, surprised but remained silent. Then Harry deflated again with a loud sigh. "Just not now." He finished lamely.

"There's no rush, Harry." He laughed, to try and ease the tension but he knew that Harry knew that he wasn't exactly at ease with his own assurance. Being alone with the love of his life and unable to touch him in any way he pleased was definitely torture in its finest form. He didn't know about Harry but his body was _burning_.

"If you say so." Harry said softly before he resumed taking pictures. Draco stared longingly at the back of his head.

_I don't, I don't, I don't…._

* * *

_**A/n:**_dodges deadly weapons Once again, I rear my head after two long, agonizing years. I'm surprised any of you reviewers haven't kicked me off your alert/favorites list yet! I'm grateful that you haven't though. Alright, now for the explanations.

School does play a major factor in this, as well as a few domestic related issues I'd rather not go into detail about. But I think a major, contributing factor is that I had a total lack of interest for the entire two years; in just about ANYTHING that I was writing. I even tried to do some one shots, you know, to jump start? But that didn't work very well. So basically the confidence I had in my writing abilities had dwindled to almost nothing. Now, this is going to sound mean but, my fervor for writing….didn't return until after my Spanish 102 class was told our teacher was in the hospital. (She's fine by the way) my lovely, adorable, cute, loyal, respectable little reviewers—I was in a state of euphoria afterwards. A burden had been lifted off my shoulders and I stayed up all night just to write this.

Also, I want to say that the next chapter will most likely be up in 1-2 weeks (infinitely better than 1-2yrs, right?) Sorry for the shortness but I felt that this was a good place to stop. Chapter lengths will vary from now on, unfortunately (I did love writing those 10 page chapters though…) I hope this doesn't disappoint ya'll too bad.

For this chapter, I think I really just wanted to focus on Draco's frustration and the fact that they are still very much in love but so cautious that it's almost impossible for anything other than hand holding and loving gazes to occur. Does that make sense? I hope so. Hm…I think there will be some covert operations in the next chapter…maybe a certain elder Malfoy? evil grin


	5. The Devil's Summon

Love Me Back Together

Chapter Five: The Devil's Summon.

* * *

"S-sir, the taxi…" Lucius snapped furious eyes onto his cowering assistant.

"Didn't I tell you to rent a car?" He hissed.

"I tried!" He squeaked. Lucius glared flaming daggers at him in response. "Th-there won't be anymore rental cars available until t-tomorrow. B-but I'll reserve one for us." He added quickly.

Unfortunately his current criminal status crippled his ability to get what he wanted, when he wanted it. To his dissatisfaction, he'd actually have to _make do_ with what he could get. He forced the bile back down his throat and scowled before climbing into the taxi. The assistant sighed in relief and scurried in after him.

"You look very familiar." The driver mused as he fastened his seatbelt.

Lucius sneered with distaste and ignored the comment, "To the Fiji Beach Resort and Spa, if you will, _driver_." A little unnerved by the frigid tone, the driver did his job wordlessly. But he couldn't help but sneak a glance at the aristocratic man in hopes of jarring his memory.

After five minutes of the driver glancing at him, Lucius was starting to loose his patience. Just before his sharp tongue could lash out with a thousand and one highly insulting things, the driver spoke up.

"I remember now! A young blond and his friend arrived yesterday. He is the spitting image of you!" He laughed delightedly.

The assistant gasped and Lucius leaned forward some. A sly smirk slithered onto his narrow face. "Tell me, driver, where was it that they were heading?" Sensing that the driver wouldn't give up the information so easily, he added, "That boy was my son, you see, and I would love to stop by and check up with him. I haven't seen him in months, I regret to say." He sighed for added effect.

"Months? I couldn't even imagine going that long without seeing my children. Hm…I think they said they were staying at the Matangi Island Resort."

"Thank you." He leaned back, neatly laced his fingers together and smiled.

* * *

One day later

James Potter was up at 5:00 in the morning, a good three and a half hours before everyone else was scheduled to wake up. He was already dressed for the day in the typical tourist "uniform" (tropical print button up, khaki's and sandals) He wouldn't put on his straw hat and shades until they left the house but he was sure once he was completely incognito, Draco and Harry wouldn't be able to recognize him if he had bumped into them, exchanged a few words and left on his merry little way.

Yes, despite what he'd told Remus, he was _going_ to find his son and he was _going_ make sure Draco was taking proper care of him. He didn't think he could relax if he didn't. His baby boy had been through _so_ much and he wasn't afraid to admit that he just wasn't ready to let him out of his sights yet. Deep down, he knew the rest of their family felt the same way.

"James." He felt thin arms tiredly wrap around his middle. He smiled as the sweet scent of Lily's vanilla shampoo wafted through the air and held a hand over hers.

"Why are you up so early?" She asked.

"Too excited."

"Excited about the tour?" She asked incredulously.

"You know I can't stand tours." He chuckled nervously. "I just can't wait to hit the beach. I heard they're giving surfing lessons."

"Surfing, James?" She laughed lightly.

"Why not? I've always wanted to try it out. No time like the present, they say."

"Then go lay down, you'll need all the energy you can get if you actually plan on doing that." He smiled weakly and twisted around to kiss her gently before doing as he was told.

Yes, he was going to need a helluva lot of energy for what he was going to do.

* * *

Harry jolted awake early that morning, shaking violently and gasping for breath. The nightmare was already leaving his memory, laughing over yet another victory against his battered psyche. All that was left now was a feeling of helplessness and terror.

He shuddered, feeling his fragile security crumble just a little bit more. He had been so _sure_ he would be free of nightmares on this trip, mostly because he was away from the battle zone and because Draco was there to keep the demons at bay.

_But he's not. He's all the way downstairs, sleeping on a couch—alone. ..And frustrated. _He'd have to be a damned fool not to see the hunger in Draco's eyes every time he caught his gaze. It sent shivers down his spine, both good and bad, and that was quite possibly the most maddening thing he'd ever felt in his life. Draco's love for him hadn't changed but the way he loved was different. Harry wanted Draco to love him the way he _use_ to love him—with kisses and sly glances and passion-filled nights that left him giggling like a five-year-old girl.

"When are you going to get over this?" He asked himself, cradling his head in his hands and feeling just as pathetic as he probably looked.

He knew he wouldn't be going back to sleep tonight, so after he calmed himself down, he climbed out of the bed and went downstairs. It was tougher than it should have been because it was dark and he was starting to see things that didn't exist but he managed to get to where Draco was sleeping in one piece. He couldn't see him very well and for a moment, he could have sworn that he wasn't there at all. Then he shifted and sighed. Harry let out the breath he hadn't known he was holding.

As silently as he could, he knelt beside the couch and got as comfortable as he could on the hard wood floor. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness just enough for him to see Draco's peacefully sleeping face. He smiled. Draco always managed to look ten years younger in his sleep like some innocent babe who hadn't a care in the universe. It amazed him every time.

He reached a tentative hand out and ghosted his fingers over his lover's cheek, which was roughened with stubble. He smiled absently and trailed his fingers down further, to those lips he so dearly missed. He was almost afraid to touch them but what would they do? Bite him?

So he punched his irrational fear in the face and let his fingers do what his lips couldn't. His lips were tender-soft; they were warm and pliable and he relished the soft puffs of breathe that caressed his finger tips. He could remember what that felt like against his own lips. It was like inhaling the scent of freshly made hot chocolate. It flushed his cheeks and put a silly little grin on his face because he _knew_ how _good_ that chocolate drink was going to be. And oh God the actual _kiss_. _That_ was like a belly full of rich chocolate liquid; the taste still lingering on his lips and in his mouth and he knew—he _knew_ that if he didn't get more he'd go stark raving mad.

_You've got to get over this, Harry or you'll _both_ go stark raving mad. _

Reluctantly, he pulled his fingers away. He stared lovingly at Draco for a few long minutes before resting his head in the crook of his arm next to Draco's head. Within a few moments, he was asleep.

* * *

Fiji was truly beautiful. No color was a dull color; no smile was a false smile and everything—_everything_ was worth the film. Lily grinned, snapping pictures of life in motion from her seat on the open air tour bus. The tour guide's voice was a dull hum in the back of her mind.

She knew James would scold her as soon as he noticed how many pictures she was taking. He told her last night, to save the film for Harry and Draco but really, that was ridiculous. They were his parents, not the paparazzi. It was bad enough that they followed him to Fiji; the least they could do was _not_ invade his privacy by snapping candid photos. He'd never forgive them! He might not even forgive them for _this_.

The enthusiasm she felt before died and she rested the camera in her lap. If there was one thing a mother had the horror of experiencing (aside from her baby being kidnapped and sexually assaulted) it was distrust and anger directed _towards_ her. If Harry couldn't turn to her then who could he go to? Who could give him the nurture he needed, the nurture only a mother could give?

"Lily?" Remus said slowly, pulling her from her worries. She looked up and met his apprehensive honey brown eyes. "Wasn't James sitting next to you?"

She along with the rest of the family froze with a sense of dread. _He didn't_. She turned to the spot next to her where her husband, just _moments_ ago had been enthusiastically pointing things out. The seat was infuriatingly empty.

"Did he…?" Ron trailed off in disbelief while Sirius guffawed, drawing annoyed looks from the other passengers.

"He_ did_!" He gasped before his laughter caught up with him again. Rich chuckled next to him and shook his head. Rose and Hermione wore identical frowns of disappointment.

"That man is going to need a leash." Lily hissed, angrily putting the camera away.

"Or a cage." Narcissa sighed.

Unlike James, they decided to wait until the tour was over to get off the bus and by then, Lily was minutes from erupting like a volcano. She stormed into the hotel lobby, the other tourists scurrying out of her way, and walked over to the payphones.

"I need change." She snapped.

"Uh…here you go Mrs. Potter." Ron quickly gave her what was in his pockets and stepped back next to Hermione where it was safe. She dialed quickly and The Potter-Evans-Black-Lupin-Weasley-Granger group waited with bated breath for the explosion that would happen as soon as the ringing stopped.

* * *

James was searching like a hawk for its prey when the cellphone rang. So preoccupied with his task was he that he answered the phone without even considering who would be on the other line.

"JAMES ANDREW POTTER WHAT THE _HELL_ DO YOU THINK YOU'RE TRYING TO PULL!?"

He tripped over his own feet and sputtered, "L-Lily!" He looked around frantically. "Honey—"

"DON'T 'HONEY' ME YOU—"

"Shh! Calm down!" He smiled weakly at the passing natives and moved to a small alleyway. "Look I'm sorry—"

Her voice was terrifyingly low as she spoke, "You're going to be even _sorrier_ when I get my hands on you, James Potter, so help me God. If you don't get back to this bloody hotel in the next fifteen minutes I'll—"

Click.

James stared at the phone with a mixture of regret, determination and just a tiny bit of fear. He was going to pay dearly for that later. He sighed and shoved the phone back into his pocket. He had an island to search.

The Hotel staff was torn between calling the security and just letting the woman scream like a banshee but in the end, they went with the latter. She wasn't really doing any harm and they didn't want to be short staffed in security anyway. The whole thing was embarrassing for the rest of the family but none of them dared to approach Lily while her claws were out. So they let her scream and moved over to the lounge area to wait. They hadn't even gotten seated yet before the sound of Lily slamming the phone on its hook sounded loudly through the lobby. She was breathing heavily and her hair seemed to have gained a bit of volume, much like a pissed off cat.

"I reckon he's a dead man." Ron whispered. Hermione elbowed him sharply and shot Mrs. Potter a concerned look as she stiffly walked over to the group.

"Is he coming back, Mrs. Potter?"

"I doubt he'd hang up on me if he were." She said bitterly.

"So are we gonna chase him or just go ahead and go to the beach?" Sirius asked.

Her eyes darkened and she smiled grimly. "_I'm_ going after him. You all are going to enjoy your vacation; I'll see you guys later." She handed Remus the camera and left before they could say anything.

"I feel sorry for Mr. Potter." Ron said sympathetically.

"I don't." The other's chorused.

"Uh…"

"Well, why don't we hit the beach? They'll be back by dinner, I'm sure." Rich suggested. With nothing else to do, they did just that.

* * *

James was fully expecting Harry to be having anxiety attacks and causing a huge scene in the middle of the street. He expected he'd have to blow his cover and berate the former Malfoy boy for not taking care of his son better. When he finally found them several blocks away from their hotel, his fear died.

They were walking down the street, laughing and standing close to one another. Every so often, Draco would reach out and squeeze his hand before whispering something in his ear. His baby boy's face would light up with a goofy grin and a healthy blush would spread across his cheeks before whispering something back. Draco would smile and they'd continue browsing the stalls with Harry even chatting with some of the owners, though he often clasped his hand with Draco during that time. For that moment, he could forget that Tom Riddle ever happened. Harry looked like that was exactly what he was doing.

He continued following them for twenty minutes and nothing during that time ever suggested that Harry was going to shatter or that Draco wasn't staying true to his word. If anything, it only proved that he was an impulsive flesh bag with no regards for the privacy of others. _Blimey, Snape would _love_ to hear me admit that…_

He tipped his hat to scratch his head and sighed. The only thing left for him to do now was go back to the hotel and face Lily's wrath. He shuddered and adjusted his hat before turning around, only to see his wife, standing several feet away with her hands on her hips, looking too calm to be in a good mood.

He shuffled towards her guiltily but his big brown eyes (his only defense mechanism) seemed to have lost their charm against her burning verdant ones. She latched onto his ear tightly once he was in range and dragged him to a shaded area out of sight.

"Did you really have to grab my ear?" He mumbled lamely and massaged it tenderly once she let go. She ignored his pain and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I am very upset with you, James Potter." She said evenly. James winced. It was the tone his mother used when he did something he clearly shouldn't have been doing.

"I know," He said quickly. "And I regret running off like that now."

"It doesn't change the fact that you did it in the first place. Honestly James, don't you have any respect for their privacy? Don't you respect Draco enough now to realize that he would _die_ before letting anything happen to Harry?" She gestured angrily, "its bad enough we followed him all the way _here_ but to stalk him is going far beyond anything I ever expected you to do!"

"I'm sorry…"

"Yes, you are."

_Ouch. _

"We're going to go back to the hotel," She said slowly. "We're going to meet the others and we're going to go to dinner. We're going to spend the rest of the vacation relaxing like we're suppose to and unless he's in danger and Draco specifically calls us, we're not going to go looking for them. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Lily." He sighed. They checked the crowds to make sure Harry and Draco weren't close and walked back to the hotel. "How'd you know where I was anyway?"

"I called Harry under the pretense of asking how his day was going. He happened to mention where he was and what he was doing. Don't tell me you called him too?" A slightly panicked look crossed her face. Surely Harry and Draco would know something was going on if he had.

He shook his head and smiled weakly, "It was dumb luck on my part."

She sighed in relief before turning darkly humored eyes on him. "You have the dumb part right."

"Lily!" He whined. "You're going to make dumb jokes about me all vacation aren't you?"

"And If I do?" Her eyes were daring him to say something against her but as foolhardy as he was, he knew when to lose a battle.

"Then I guess my self-esteem will just have to suffer."

"See? You don't even have to be a genius to figure it out." She kissed him sweetly on the cheek.

He sighed dramatically, secretly pleased that she wasn't mauling him like he had expected her to do. It gave him the suspicion that she wasn't really as upset as she was pretending to be and that _maybe_ she ran after him like a bat out of hell just to get a glimpse of her baby too. His suspicions were confirmed at her next question.

"So…did he look ok? I didn't, er, see him." She avoided his amused gaze.

"He looks like himself, Lils, like he…like none of it happened. Draco's doing his job well."

She smiled in relief. "I'm glad." He grinned and slipped an around her.

* * *

Lucius didn't want to risk being recognized anymore than he'd already been and had sent him out to gather information and to see what the brats were up to. It was fairly easy managing to track down where the two teenagers were staying and even easier to trail them. They were so absorbed in each other they wouldn't notice the sky falling.

He decided he'd done all he could for the day and was heading back to the hotel when he heard two words that sent chills up and down his spine and nearly caused him to relieve his bladder.

"—u, James Potter." He held back a squeak and scrambled to hide himself. He ducked behind a stall, ignoring the baffled merchant and looked for the source of the voice. He spotted them hidden behind a couple of palm trees and a stall. There was no mistaking James Potter, even with that ridiculous hat and to his surprise and horror, Lily was there with him. He swallowed thickly and shook out his fear to listen.

"—back to the hotel; we're going to meet the others and—"He paled and fell on his rump. The _others_ could only mean Sirius and Remus. If there were any three people he didn't want to see in the world, it was James, Remus, and Sirius. _This doesn't bode well._ He peaked around to see if they were still there but they weren't. He sighed in relief and hurriedly pulled out the cellphone Lucius had lent him. He hit speed dial and held it to his ear with a shaky hand.

"_What?_"

"W-we have a slight problem." He squeaked.

"_Don't tell me you can't find where they're staying; you might find it safer not to return tonight if that's the case._"

"N-no, I found their Bure…but…James and Lily Potter are here. So are Remus and Sirius." He said hurriedly.

There was a murderous pause.

"_Good._" He almost dropped the phone in shock.

"G-good?"

"_Hurry back, Peter. We have things to do._"

Peter Pettigrew stared at the phone with confusion. He wondered if he was _suppose_ to understand what that was all about. But he was just an assistant, a _lackey_ if you wanted to put it into context and the inner workings of the big boss was almost never understood. Perhaps it was for the better. He nodded to himself and quickly made his way back to the hotel.

* * *

Lucius leisurely poured himself a glass of expensive wine and walked back to the large bay windows. He sipped calmly from his glass and dialed another number. Two sips later, it picked up.

"_Lestrange Residence." _

"Hello Bella."

* * *

A/n: Well isn't this long over due? I give up on setting deadlines for myself. It seems I'm a compulsive deadline ignorer.

Sorry for the lack of DH in this chapter and I hope it wasn't terribly boring or anything. Sorry for the shortness as well but I didn't want to force my brain to spew stuff out so this is gonna have to satisfy ya'll just a little until I can cook up the next batch. O.o

Oh yeah and about that "_sorrier"_ word Lily said. Is that even correct? I was going to use _more_ sorry but I don't think that's correct either… meh.

Okay guys, you know what to do now. Review! Tell me what you liked what you didn't like or if something seems odd or misspelled and if you flame me then thanks for wasting your time!

-Love MP.


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